When Hell Freezeth Over
by JayBee-Bug
Summary: Goddesses do take notice of monsters after all. (B/S fic)
1. Default Chapter

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Title: When Hell Freezeth Over

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Author: JayBee

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Rating: PG-13 (language, some adult themes)

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Category: Spike/Buffy 'shipper story

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Setting/Spoilers: Takes place just before "Crush". Sequel to my fanfic "Venus, the Planet of Love". Can be read as a stand-alone, but works better with both.

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Summary: Goddesses _do_ take notice of monsters after all.

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Feedback: Yes, please; jaybee_bug@yahoo.com

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Distribution Statement: I'd be honored, of course. Just be sure to keep my name & e-mail attached, and lemme know if you can. :o)

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Disclaimer: Bow humbly before the all-mighty Joss Whedon. Buffy and her friends aren't mine. But worst of all, Spike's not mine. *whines*, I'd take damn good care of him if he was. ;oD

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Author's Notes: Tara's not in this fic. I got nothin' against her, it's just I didn't have her character down good enough when I wrote this. Also, let's just pretend for the sake of this fic that Drac's episode never happened (didn't see the ep at the time I wrote this).

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Dedication: Lauralai, a reader who left a beautiful little review for my first fic. I used one of her inspiring lines in this fic, and another as the summary.

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When you feel all alone, 

And the world has turned it's back on you

Give me a moment please

To tame your wild wild heart- Savage Garden, "Crash and Burn"

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Part One

"Buffy? Buffy? "

Willow Rosenberg looked at her friend across the table, whose eyes seemed glazed over in thought. 

"Hell-ooo? Earth to Buffy, this is Earth speaking. "

Buffy suddenly took a sharp intake of air, as if awakening from a trance. 

"Did you say something, Willow? "

Willow sighed, a smirk on her face. "No. I said a lot of things. Were ya been to? "

Buffy smiled, still looking a bit lost in thought. "Sorry. I guess I have a lot on my mind. "

Reaching across the piles of books splayed in front of them, Willow examined the one Buffy had been leaning on. 

"I don't suppose one of those things happens to be the Mexican war, huh? "

She shook her head. "Nah. Is that were we left off? "

"Mm-hmm. Although I'd have to say you started drifting probably around the same time gold was discovered in California. "

Buffy shook her head again, this time in mock-shame of herself. "Great. Probably didn't get an ounce of that into my head. "

"Mind sharing what's going on in _The World of Buffy_? May help get your mind off it. "

"Eh. It's nothing much. I think I just need a break, we've been going at it pretty hard. You mind if I bail on you for today? "

Willow mimicked a scolding tone. "All right, I'll let you off the hook, but only if you promise to show at least a few times next week. You're never gonna get it all done without my help. "

Buffy smiled appreciatively at her friend. "Thanks, Will, you're the best. I'll see you later, " she said, eagerly packing up her stuff. 

"We'll be waiting, " she answered as Buffy struggled out the door, obviously _we_ meaning her and her book-friends. The young Slayer chuckled amusingly at her friend as she left the library, but soon her cheery smile evaporated as she made her way off campus. There had been much on her mind, indeed. 

She had been mulling over last night, of course. She had the weirdest time last night on patrol. Spike had gone with her and they ended up talking about the stars and pointing out constellations and…Buffy shook her head. Not things you'd normally expect the two to discuss. She didn't know why she couldn't get it off her mind, it just kept coming back to her. 

And then there was all the brooding she had been doing lately about her life. It wasn't like there was anything in wrong in particular right now-quite the contrary. It was a rather peaceful time in Buffy's life; she had nothing to worry about. Maybe that's why it was bothering her so much. She spent so much of her time worrying about the next big thing, she forgot how to live without that hanging over her head. Worry and constant action, never resting, seemed to define her life. And lately she had been brooding over it more and more, really working herself into a depression spell. She felt distant from everyone, because although they could offer a sympathetic ear, it would never be enough. They really didn't know what it was like. They were great friends of hers, yes. They couldn't help not being able to fully understand. It was just the way things worked. 

So it seemed the only thing that distracted her from her busy moping was last night's events. You know how the mind will turn something over and over in the head too many times? You can start to twist and distort and exaggerate events very easily. Buffy decided her tall-tale was getting way too freaky and she had better find something else to do. Go out, get outta the house, try and do something fun. Yeah. 

Sure. 

Instead, by default, her mind turned to her other current best pass-time; moping. 

-------------------------------------------------------

"Buffy, you wanna talk about anything? "

Buffy tried her best to hold back the anger and defensiveness rising in her veins. 

"I'm fine, Xander. Why does everybody keep asking me that? " she snapped. He looked a little taken aback. "Woah, girl, sorry I asked. I was just-"

"I know, you were just trying to help. Everybody's trying to help. " She said tersely, pacing the length of her dorm. 

"Well that's kinda what people do when they sense there's something wrong-"

"I know it! " she snapped, glaring at him. Hearing herself, she repeated it softer. 

"I know it…Xander, it's just that…. " She teetered out, wanting to explain but she just couldn't to him. He wouldn't understand either. 

"Hey. It's not on the list, Buf, so you can talk about it. C'mon. "

"What list? "

"You know, " Xander said, still in the doorway, 

"The three things to never get in a debate over. Religion, politics and love. "

"That is _not_ the list. "

"Yes it is. "

"No, no, that's not the last one! It was…"

Buffy scrunched her nose. "I don't remember, but that wasn't it. "

Xander just shrugged. "Ok, whatever. You da boss. "

The Slayer glared at him again. "I'm not makin' it up, ask anyone. " She muttered. 

"Jeez! You don't need superpowers with a look like that, Buffy. " He said, referring to the death-glare he was still under. 

"Then why not take a hint, " she snipped, walking off into the room as if he wasn't there anymore. 

"But-"

"No, " Buffy answered. "No buts. I'm sick and tired of people stalking me like this. Just-just go! "

Xander was finally getting angry. "Buffy, we're not stalking you. We're your _friends. _We just want to help. "

"Well, you can't. " she said shortly. "So you might as well leave. "

"How do you know if you don't try? "

"I just do! Why are you still here? "

Xander ground his jaw and there was a dangerous glint in his eye, but rather then yell like he wanted to, and Buffy deserved, his voice came calm and low. 

"All right, Buffy. I'm leaving. "

And simply turned and left like that. Buffy watched the blank space in the doorframe a moment. Regret panged through her, but soon anger devoured and replaced it. 

"S' own fault. I can't talk to him about this. Should of taken a hint, " she muttered angrily, trying to justify herself. Her mood did not improve much that day after that horrid encounter with her friend. 

~

Night fell slowly upon Sunnydale tonight. Or at least it felt like it for Buffy. She eagerly watched as the cerulean blue skies faded and dyed to a rich navy blue and slowly, the darkness crept around and consumed the entire world, claiming it as the nighttime. 

As the night fell, she felt comfort return to herself. This is were she still had some power, some control in her life; this was her element. She may not be able to fight her own internal demons but she sure as heck could go and dust some real ones. 

Eager and restless to get out on the patrol, she geared up and left early, much earlier than usual, by herself. She didn't feel like being with her friends tonight, especially Xander, who was probably still angry…

So, as soon as dusk began to settle, she took off for her usual rounds. She walked much of it in silence. Her mind crackled of the day's events and tormented her with the argument she had with her friend. She ought to apologize. She ought to-

No! She had no reason to. He wasn't being fair, they all had to leave her alone. None of them could ever understand. The anger at herself and the indefinable reason for her brooding still coursed through her veins. She needed some vampires to stake, damn it. 

"What's the matter? Nobody want to take me on? " she yelled into the night. 

"Sure, I'll have a go. "

The Slayer whipped about at Spike's voice to see the vamp smirking nearby. 

"Oh, that's real cute, Spike. " She said gratingly, and turned to continue her fast-paced walk. The peroxide blonde caught up behind her. 

"What? I was serious. I will. Sounds like you don't have any other takers. "

She sneered at the vamp's mocking, at the same time knowing he was right. 

"Sorry, Spike. No can do. You wouldn't be much a match for me with that chip in your head. "

"So it _is_ a slow night then, eh? " he said, ignoring her previous comment. 

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Vampires. Always show up when you don't need them, not a single in sight when you do need em'. "

Spike seemed amused by this. "So the Slayer _needs_ vampires? Hmm, good thing I came along. "

"Spike-" she said warningly. 

"All right, I'll be good, mum. Just lemme stay up past my bed-time. "

Sighing again, the Slayer continued on as if not noticing the chipped vampire following close behind. 

But as the night wore on, Buffy was frustratingly disappointed. The vampires she wanted to slay were nowhere to be found. She took it out on the logical place-

"Spike, what it _wrong_ with you vampires? " she growled. 

"We don't take enough showers, I think. And we really ought to work to keep on top of the new fashion age. I see so many dumb-"

"Shut up. I don't mean that. I mean, is it like you're all conspiring against me right now? We haven't run into a _single_ one tonight. What did ya do, _warn_ everyone? "

The vamp gave his usual smirk. "Luv, if I tried to do that I'd have my brains beaten in by the lot of em'. "

"Don't call me that, " she snapped. 

"You rather I call you baby? "

The Slayer wielded her stake with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. 

"Shut. Up. "

He just watched her, rather than retort, so she turned and continued to walk again. He followed a few paces behind. 

"Well aren't we touchy tonight, " he muttered. 

"I'm _not_ touchy! " she snapped back. Spike smiled to himself in automatic response. Definitely touchy. 

Truth was, he had waited for her tonight to start out on her usual patrols. He often watched the Scooby gang's vampire hunts but waited 'till Buffy had gone on the patrol herself before offering to join in as well. He had been hoping for a repeat of the last time they went out, as it seemed remotely possible he was finally melting down the hard shell she had built around herself, the vicious and deep-run hatred she had for him. But tonight was not her usual rough verbal treatment of him; she was downright inhumane. Something was eating at her. 

The Slayer started to complain again. 

"You're just stupid, the whole bunch of you. Spend all my life hunting you down and I swear sometimes it's like it's not even worth it. You so dumb anybody could do this job…"

It was an angry muttering, but Spike's vampiric senses could pick out every word. He was rather peeved at the pointless digging at his kind, but knew she was just blowing off steam. Still, he found it impossible to hold his tongue. 

"Now, Slayer, give us a chance here, huh? "

She shot a glare at him. "And you just shut-up over there, " she added to her list of things to complain about. 

"Why should I? "

"Because you're as harmless as a bluebird, smartass! Why don't you go suck your pig's blood, " she snapped, trying to abuse him enough to get him to leave. 

Spike looked at her, shocked. The Slayer kept marching on without turning, waiting for the smart-aleck rebuttal from him or angry threat. But she never got any. Instead his voice behind her came cautious, concerned. 

"Cor, something's really buggin' you, Slayer. "

She kept silent, knowing he had hit the mark. 

"You want to talk 'bout it? "

She stopped and turned on her heel so fast, the vampire nearly ran into her. 

"What is _with_ everyone today? ! Why would I want to talk to you anyhow? It's not like you're my friend or anything! "  
The vampire looked hurt. "Hey, who gave you the right to yell at me all night? I was only tryin' to do you a bloody favor, " he yelled back with matched anger. 

"Well _don't! _Why, why do you want to do _me_ a favor? You think I'll just open up to you and cry out my heart, is that it? ! What is _wrong_ with you? " 

"Well _excuse_ me, " the vampire huffed with fury, "For being considerate to you. _Excuse me_ for thinking that maybe some of the talks we've had mattered to you! Ex-"

"What are you _talking_ about? We haven't-"

"Oh, ok, sure, " he said, his voice picking up a strong mocking tone to it, 

"I see. You're saying, that _Doya know any constellations, Spike_ isn't a damn bloody attempt at a conversation, it's just a slip of the tongue. All right then, "

Buffy started to scream at him, his last comment hitting home. 

"Just _GO AWAY! _Get the_ hell out of here! _No, no-don't say ANYTHING. Leave, before I change my mind about staking you! NOW! "

Then she spun around and stomped off into the night without looking back. 

Spike just stood, watching her go. He was shaking with anger, wanting so badly to rip her throat out, but that bloody chip…. 

"Uuuugh! "

Shoving the stake he carried around for patrolling into the tree, it was effectively buried into the bark six inches deep. Then he stomped off as well in his own direction. 

------------------------------------------

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What the hell just happened? 

Buffy suddenly stopped, listening carefully. While she scanned for signs of vampiric activity, her mind carried on elsewhere. 

Well, we had an argument. Big deal. We do pretty much every time we see each other. We're mortal enemies, after all. 

__

Ah-hah-ah, her mind replied. _Not true. Lately you've actually been getting along. _

So what? He hasn't been as annoying lately. He's been…almost polite, considerate. Doesn't mean he _is_, just means he has been…. 

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He's been good to you. Good company on the lonely nights. This is how you show your appreciation. 

Were was _that_ coming from? Good company? Hah! He's…. 

Oh, just shut up, ok? He's a vampire. 

__

Exactly. 

What the hell is that supposed to mean? ! No, don't answer that. I'm not listening to you anymore. 

Buffy continued to banter back and forth mentally, the argument had quite shaken her up. Going through the routes she knew so well, she didn't even see a sign of demon. 

Her mind was a storm of angry and troubled thoughts. It was probably for the best that everyone was gone because so lost in thought was she, that most likely a whole parade of vampires could have gone by without her notice. 

Buffy finally sighed and turned in bitter defeat to head home, in the same morbid silence as she had traveled in from the start. She knew she would have to pass it on the way home-her heart raced as she felt it's approach…and then there it was. Rather than walk by as fast as she could, she stopped. She couldn't help it. She just stared at it for the longest time, torn. Spike's crypt. 

~

Angrily pacing was the bleach-blonde vampire, puffing at a cigarette and cursing to himself. 

"Damn bloody Slayer, " he spat, even though he knew it probably was his fault. Should have kept his big mouth shut just a damn minute. She wasn't in the mood and now he's scared her off. 

"Bitch. I bend over backwards for her, she doesn't even see that. "

He flopped onto his leather couch, dropping the cig to the floor and stomping it out. He wasn't in the mood for being very angry tonight. Maybe later on-

He jerked as his door creaked open and the Slayer simply walked in, shutting the door behind her. For a moment he just gaped at her, and she was blinking, her brow furrowed, as if concentrating very hard on something puzzling. 

"Spike, do you know the list? "

He continued to gape, not quite able to forum words yet. 

"The…" he started, uncertain if he heard. 

"The list. The list of three things to not get in a debate about. Or at least I'm pretty sure it's three. "

The vampire shook his head, confused as hell. 

"Slayer, what are you doing here? "

"Asking you a question. What's it look like? "

He tilted his head at her. On any other given day he probably would have been furious at her, having the guts to come back here and toy with his mind. He'd yell and try to verbally abuse her as much as he could. But-she was making him damn curious as well. 

"You know. Religion, politics and something else. Xander says it's love. I don't think it is. "

Spike still was uncertain of how to react to all of this. He kept taking a breath of air as if about to yell, but then just let it out, shaking his head. He chuckled. 

"I have to ask, Slayer. What makes you think you can drop by here like we're old chummies and ask me cryptic questions? Every time I try to do that you just get pissed off. "

She nodded as if he had made a valid point. "Y-yeah. I just-" she bit her lower lip. 

"I mean, by every right I should be mad at you. I should be screaming bloody murder. That's what you'd do. "

She nodded again. 

"So why are you here? " he repeated, getting up from the couch to approach her. She kept her eyes even with his. 

"I-I dunno. I just figured you'd know. I mean…"

As she faltered again, Spike finally realized. She wasn't here to toy with him. She had actually come here for a reason. 

"You wanted to talk, " he supplied for her, struck by the truth of his statement, and she looked back up at him. 

"No! Well…kind of. I mean…"

She sighed in frustration, quickly loosing her nerve. 

"I don't know, Spike. Things have been crazy lately and for some stupid reason I thought-it's dumb. I'm sorry, I'll just-"

"Death, " Spike said, cutting her off. 

She stopped, completely losing her train of thought at what he said. 

"What? "

He paused a moment, mostly for effect, before smiling at her. 

"Death, luv. The third thing. That's what it is. "

"I _knew_ it! " she yelled. "I knew I was right! I told him and he wouldn't listen, but I knew it was something else! "

He watched her with amusement. When she was finished with her triumph, she seemed to realize were she was again. Before she could say anything more, Spike spoke for her. 

"Well…since you're here then…you want somethin' to drink? "

She grinned in dark humor. "Don't really have a taste for blood, Spike. "

Spike rolled his eyes as he walked past her. "Not blood. I _do_ have a few other things around here, you know. "

"Sure. And do your friends know about this? " she said, finding comfort in falling back into their usual banter. 

"All ready told ya, luv. Don't got any friends no more. "

Coming back from the corner of the room (I suppose it could of counted as a kitchen, in crude terms) were he had a mini-fridge, he had a bottle of beer in one hand and a bottle of something else in the other. 

"Wait…is that _iced tea_? "

He grinned, opening the bottle and handing it to her. "Don't believe it? Give it a taste, it's real. "

Gazing at the bottle, the idea of poison momentarily flickering through her head-oh, what the hell, if he wanted to do that he could of a long time ago-she tasted it. 

"I can't believe it. Spike, this is real iced tea. You have…_tea. _"

He nodded, "I know. "

"_Why? _"

"Hey, there's plenty of things you don't know about me, Slayer, " he said, taking his beer over to the couch. 

Buffy sipped the tea. Heck, it was a good brand, too. How on Earth he knew it was her favorite drink, she had no clue. 

The vamp popped open his own drink and she watched him take a good draft. 

The Slayer suddenly wondered what she really was doing here. Jeez. She was in Spike's crypt, drinking iced tea. This was insane. 

"And now, " Spike said, grabbing the TV remote, 

"For a bit of _quality programming. _You'll like this, Slayer, " he said, sounding very certain of himself. 

She raised a brow. "Judging by your tastes? Not likely. "

But Spike was thrilled with himself for his smooth delivery of the plan. He had managed to keep her here this far and he wasn't about to lose it now. Entering in a channel number, he reclined comfortably. 

"This is the rare exception to the rule. I promise. Something I'd think we'd both find amusing. "

Buffy was getting increasingly curious. "Nuh-uh. Not a thing exists. I watch sappy soaps. You got to watch those mindless, plotless violent movies. How-"

Spike shushed her as the commercials ended. "Shh-shh! It's starting. "

She fell quiet, watching in wonder. It looked like an old black-and-white movie was beginning. A slow pan-out revealed an ancient-looking and very creepy house on a hill. As the title was dramatically displayed, with crashing lighting and the whole bit, Buffy cried out, grinning in disbelief. 

"No way! You're _kidding_ me! "

He seemed to hardly be containing his humor. "Nope. It's the real thing, luv. What, you never seen _Dracula_ before? "

Overcome by good humor of the situation, she came and sat down on the couch next to him. She couldn't help it. Fighting to keep a straight face and not laugh, she answered. 

"Oh, I've seen it. Me and Xander and Willow-we went and saw it in a drive-in theater a few years ago. Oh, God, we laughed so hard that night…" she shook her head to hide her grin. 

"It was _so ridiculous. _I mean, the ideas these guys have about-" she stopped talking, in order to avoid a very embarrassing fit of laughter, instead shaking in silent mirth. 

"Ahem, " she coughed instead, putting on a straight face again and regaining her posture. 

Spike-can't laugh around Spike. Jesus. 

"Oh, you should see what some of my ol' mates used to say about it. Hell, even the ones that didn't say anything, their expressions were priceless. "

She grinned, getting a pretty good idea in her head of what that would have been like. 

Buffy really didn't want to have a good time. She really didn't. But the idea of a Slayer watching Dracula with a real vampire was just too much. Ever watch a really, really old movie were everything's terrible-acting, effects, lighting, storyline, everything-and are overwhelmed with all the things to mock? That's what it was like; there was just too much to mock, it was all so ridiculous, the whole thing was just as funny as hell. Buffy nobly hung on for a while, keeping from laughing, but as the movie continued the humor escalated, until she just couldn't help it, damn it! They ended up in near hysterics over it. 

By the time the movie came to a "dramatic" close, Spike was listening attentively to Buffy reciting some story, as he took occasional swigs of his third beer, looking downright happy, which is quite odd for a vampire indeed, especially when it doesn't require maiming, killing, blood, or gore. Huh, he wasn't even drunk. 

When she finished she noticed the credits rolling, flickering on the poor copy of the movie being run. It was sort of like a wake-up call. 

"Oh, Jeez. I don't suppose you have a watch, do you? "

"It's 3:45 at night, luv, " he said as he drank from the bottle. 

"How'd you know that? "

He tipped his bottle to the door. "Spend enough times wandering 'round without a watch wonderin' when the sun'll shine and believe me, you get a remarkable sense of time. "

"Huh. Guess that does make sense. "

"Either that or it's just the smart ones are the only ones left over, " he added. 

She smiled a moment at that but then grew quiet. He watched her carefully. 

"Got somewhere to be, huh? "

She shook her head. "Nobody knows were I'm at, " she stated. 

"They don't? "

"Nope. Far as they know I never came back from patrol. They're gonna question me when I get back. "

Spike kept quiet. 

"And I don't care, " Buffy added. 

"They all just need to let go. Give me a break for once. I mean…" she shook her head. 

"They don't realize I gotta just leave sometimes. It wouldn't count if they knew were I was. They could come in at any moment and there'd be some demon or another to kill. I got to avoid that _sometimes_…feel like I can live a life outside of it all. Or something. "

She looked over at the vampire next to her who had been humbled by her honesty. He now spoke as she looked to him. 

"It's quite simple, Slayer. You need an escape. All that you do's never gonna be enough. There's always more. So there's no way around it. " He said simply, 

"Except to leave it all for a while. "

She nodded to agree. "Right, exactly. "

The demon smiled lightly, knowing that their time tonight was coming to a close. 

"Best not worry your mum too much though, huh? "

She nodded again at his prompt. "Right, of course. I should be getting back. "

She rose, his blue eyes following her as she walked to the door. 

"'Night, Slayer. "

She gave a half-smile before the door shut, leaving Spike alone. 

He continued to sit there, gazing at the door, and looking over to the muted TV, and then into his beer. He shook his head with disbelief. It seemed so surreal still. He gazed at the spot on the couch she had been only a few moments ago, right next to him. Finally he allowed himself to admit it really had happened, reaching out to feel the couch was still warm. Warm from her. 

He just sat there, hand on the couch, absorbing the depth of what this all meant and the occurrences of that evening. 

Then a smile creased on his handsome features and he chuckled, understanding. 

"I'll be damned. Hell's just become the newest ice rink in town. "

-----------------------------------------------

"Ok, one question-I don't think I even need to ask. "

"Then don't and let's say you did, ok? "

"Buffy! "

The blonde Slayer turned to look at her concerned friend, Xander. 

"C'mon, Xander. I already went through this with my mom and Giles. "

Buffy had already apologized for their previous argument, and things were still a little taunt between them, but for the most part, they were 'cool', as Xander put it. 

"We were all really worried. " He stated simply. He didn't really need to say much more. 

"I know, I'm sorry. "

"So where were you? "

"Somewhere safe, don't worry. Not out fighting demons, " she assured him. 

"I just wanted a little break, you know? Been kind of uptight lately, as you've…noticed. "

"But were did you go? " Xander repeated, not satisfied with her explanation. 

She looked at him, and then just said, 

"Somewhere safe. "

The bells on the Magic Shop jangled as she walked out. Anya came up from behind Xander. "Who was that? "

"That was Buffy, " he said. 

"Oh! So she's alive then and…fine? "

He smiled at her. "Yeah. "

"Well…were was she? "

"Somewhere 'safe', apparently. "

~

The urge to approach Buffy and talk to her again was strong. Spike was a man, or I suppose demon, of action, and he hated to wait. But the vampire had plenty of time before to think of this day, when his patience had finally paid off. And the Slayer he had sought the trust and friendship of finally accepted him as a possible friend. He knew that he was in a delicate situation, and that the trust he had worked so hard to earn could be shattered like glass in a heartbeat if he made the wrong move. So he did the smart thing. He waited for her to make the next move. The ball was in her court. Until then, he would carefully lay his plans. 

~

The depression spell that had been plaguing Buffy was lifted for a time, to her immense pleasure. Despite the fact that her friends and mother had questioned her, they soon let it slide. Her friends all thought that was it; she had been uptight a while but now it was fixed. It was just a fluke. 

But as the days went on, she seemed more and more preoccupied in thought again. Not the broody kind about life; just…daydreaming. Or something. 

And finally, she started to disappear again. 

---------------------------------------------------

"I toldya, Rambel, nobody's ho-Oh. Hey, Slayer, didn't realize it was you. "

Buffy eyed the club Spike was armed with. "Who's Rambel? Doesn't sound like you like em' very much. "

The vampire grinned at the club and slung it nonchalantly about his shoulder. 

"Oh, we used to be pals. Before the whole chipping and demon-hunting thing, that is. "

She nodded in understanding. "Mm. I see. "

Spike ambled over to the corner of the room were he stockpiled a bunch of odds and inns, including several wooden stakes, and gave the club a good test-swing in the air. It was Tuesday-she usually came 'round on a Friday or Saturday. Huh. 

Yes, to answer your question, that night had _not_ been a fluke. Or at least, it turned out to be a fairly re-occurring fluke. Since then Buffy had dropped by several more times, late at night, full of conflict and demons in her head and wishing to sort them out. Spike gladly obliged, of course, and the two mortal enemies would sit and talk. Tonight she seemed to Spike to be in a lighter mood, or something. 

Carefully replacing the club to a resting position against the wall, he said, 

"So how goes it up there among the living? Anything new I should know about? "

"Mm. Not much. In fact, very not much. "

Perching on a stool by his rat-pack stockpile, he smiled. 

"You sound bored. "

"I _am_ bored. "

He raised a finger as if to scold. "Ah-ah, a Slayer should never say that. That's when somebody drops a nice new demon on her doorstep to tangle with. "

She smiled, knowing he had a point. 

"Mmph. " She wined, rubbing her empty stomach. 

"What's with all the mm'ing? "

"Aah. I didn't have dinner yet. "

The vampire raised a brow. "What's the matter, didn't like what mum was serving? "

"Shut up, " she said good-naturally, 

"I was out late and didn't feel like going home to get yipped at. Not worth it for microwaved casserole, I'd say. "

Spike thought a moment, then smiled smoothly, digging through his pile of junk. Opportunity was there at last for him to make use of something he had been saving. 

Tossing the tan-colored pamphlet of paper to her with a flick of the wrist, he asked, 

"You like Chow Mien? "

Looking at the little To Go menu in wonder, Buffy chuckled. 

"Spike…"

"What? "

She bit her lip. 

"Actually, I love Chow Mien…" she admitted. 

"So what's the problem? "

Looking through the menu, she seemed hesitant. 

"It's just…I don't want to eat anything that's been, you know…stolen. "

"_Buffy! _Whatever gave you the impression I'd steal something? " he said in mock horror. She rolled her eyes. 

Pulling an old pencil box out of the pile, which inadvertently splayed other small objects about, (which were completely ignored), he flipped it open and took out some bills. 

"Don't you worry, luv. I got it covered. I'll even give you the receipt to prove it. "

She looked at him and back to the little menu, still amazed he was actually planning to pay for this. The vamp went to find his wallet. 

"Wow. A vampire who actually buys stuff. I'm impressed, " she said, half-humorously and half-seriously. Spike flopped on the couch on his back and reached out to take the menu from her and flip through it upside-down. 

"Crap, crap, garbage…ok, here we are. I'd suggest the _Cashew Chicken_, and little bit of this _Sweet and Sour Pork_, oh, you gotta get the Broccoli Beef-thing too. That's the best stuff they got. "

"And the Chow Mien, " Buffy added. 

"Of course the Chow Mien, " he agreed, handing the paper back to her. 

"So it's decided? "

She hesitated a moment, only because it still seemed a bit funny to her, but what the heck. She was hungry, so why not? 

"Ok, sure. "

Smiling, he got up and grabbed his coat. 

"Be right back, " he said, and then paused at the door. 

"Oh, and one thing. Don't go poking around in my stuff. Personal, private stuff. "

"Ye of little faith. "

"Pffft! "

The door clicked shut. The Slayer just stood there a moment, mulling over the fact that she was now alone in Spike's empty crypt. Hmm. 

"Time to go poking around in personal, private stuff, " she muttered, suppressing a wicked grin. 

~

Spike was perched on one arm of the couch, and the Slayer was perched on the opposite one, both turned in, as he carefully passed out the little white boxes from the brown paper bag. 

"Now, " he was saying, 

"There's only one hard-fast rule of dining at Spike's. "

He gave her a serious look. 

"Anything falls on my nice couch here, and you gotta lick it off yourself. "

She fought to keep a straight face. "Oh, really? "

Nodding, he said, "Yep. Ok, here's the Chow Mien, " and passed it over to her, going back to digging in the bag. 

"I don't suppose you'd have utensils, huh? "

"No need. " He said, presenting the two paper-wrapped pairs of chopsticks. 

"Another advantage for ordering Chinese, " he said as he tossed a pair Buffy's way. 

She ripped open the package and watched Spike as he opened his and started digging into the box greedily. Frowning, she looked down at her pair of chopsticks, and back up, trying to copy how Spike was using them. Groaning in frustration, she gave in. 

"Ok, I give up. How do you use these things? "

Spike laughed, nearly choking on a cashew. "You don't know how? "

She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "So? You don't need to eat and you know how? "

Showing off, he expertly clipped a single grain of rice with the sticks and ate it. 

"Kay, it's really simple. Look, you put the bottom one down here between these two fingers, and hold the top like a pencil. "

Buffy adjusted the sticks in her hand, looking over at her example, not quite sure if it was correct. 

"No, those're the wrong fingers. Here-this one. "

She frowned. "No, no, you're mixing them up-here, " he said, getting up from his spot and after examining, adjusted the sticks in her hand to the proper position. 

"There, like that. "

She smiled up at him. "Thanks. "

Loosing vocal functions for a moment as their eyes met, Spike quickly went to sit back down before he'd do something regretful. They both ate right out of the boxes, a few minutes passing of comfortable silence. 

The Slayer, picking out all the beef from the Beef n' Broccoli to eat, asked, 

"So what's it like? To eat as a vampire, I mean. "

Spike looked thoughtful a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain. 

"All right, you know when you go out with a bunch of friends to eat a meal, right, and you're all finished, but still sitting around blabbing-you're picking at it still but only because there's nothing else to do while you talk, right? "

She nodded. 

"It's like that. You're not too full, but you're not hungry either, you're just eating because it's sitting there. I mean, it still tastes the same as when you started. But it's not satisfying. It's just…there. "

"Yeah, " she said, thinking about that. 

"Mostly it's done for the gesture-sake. Sort of lost meaning, " he said. 

"But, " Buffy said, pulling on an unusually long Chow Mien noodle-

"You still can get drunk. "

"Yep. Drunk, stoned, an' anything else you fancy. "

"Ok. Here's one-how often do you like, take showers? "

"Well, most vampires? Never, " he said, as Buffy made a face. 

"That's why they always stink so much. Live like animals, " he said, shrugging. 

"Tell me about it, " the Slayer murmured. 

"But _I_ make sure to take one at least once a week. " Spike added proudly. 

Buffy snickered. "Uh-huh. "

"Hey, don't laugh. You know how hard it is to find a decent place to shower? It's not like you can go knock on anybody's door in the middle of the night and ask em'. You got to rent a whole damn hotel room or something. "

"Wow, that must get expensive. "

He nodded. "It does. But I got an image to keep up, you know? Not gonna go 'round smelling like a sewer rat like the rest of the lot. "

"Even if it costs you your smoke money? "

"It's a tough call sometimes, " he admitted. 

"Maybe you can just set something up here. "

He scoffed. "Like they'd run plumbing down into a crypt. "

"Not plumbing. Something simpler, like a…bathtub. "

"A bathtub, " he repeated. She shrugged at him, and he snorted. 

"Sure. Like I'd be the kind to take bubble baths. With…rubber duckies and…. shower-caps and those back-scrubber thingies, " he said, looking quite disgusted. 

She laughed. "What? I have no problem picturing you like that. "

His eyes lit up at that remark. 

"Oh, is that so? "

Realizing what she had sounded like, the Slayer felt her face involuntarily flush. 

"Shut up! I didn't mean…" she started, holding the chopsticks as if to fling some Chow Mien onto him. He shielded himself as if she had a flaming torch. 

"Woah, steady, Slayer! You have to admit you walked right into that one. "

"You want Chinese take-out in your hair or not? " she threatened. 

He shot back his clever remark, wagging his eyebrows. "Only if you remember the rule, gotta lick up whatever you drop. "

"Aaaaa! " she yelled, quickly halting her catapult of the food in mid-swing. 

Seeing none had fallen, she let out a breath of relief and carefully replaced it in the box, while shooting him a glare. 

"Another remark like that'll earn this chopstick through you, " she said, sounding truly vicious over it as she licked the stick. 

He smiled, obviously having a good time. "Mm. Like to see you try an' pull that off. "

The rest of the night carried on in similar fashion. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Will. What's up? "

Willow looked up, smiling at her friend. 

"Hey Xander. Buffy and I are studying, " she said seriously, nodding to the empty chair next to her. Xander gave her a funny look. 

"Well, technically, she's not here, but she's supposed to be. Were _is_ Buffy, anyway? "

Xander pulled a chair out and sat on it the opposite way. 

"Oh, she's off in _la-la land_. " He said with conviction. 

Willow's eyed widened. "_Again? _You're kidding me, right? That's, l-like the third time this week! "

Xander nodded. "I know. "

Giles appeared from behind a bookshelf, shoving his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"I'm afraid I'm quite confused, you two. _Were_ did you say Buffy was? "

Xander waved at Giles, even though he was only a few feet away. 

"Hey Giles! Didn't know you were here. Yeah, um, I said la-la land, right, Will? "

She agreed with her friend. "That's right, la la land. That's were she is. "

"And…were exactly is this la-la land you're referring to? "

"Well, see, that's what we call it. Former or other popular names include '_A safe place'_ or '_Out_' or '_By myself' _or even '_Somewhere_'. " Xander explained. 

Giles wrinkled his brow. "I see. So I'm assuming you really have no clue? "

"Oh, but we do. We know that's she goes out by herself to somewhere safe and that she's been going there a lot lately, " Willow summarized. 

"A lot, you say? I was just assuming she was preoccupied with homework and…similar things. "

Willow shrugged. "There's her homework right there, " she said simply, pointing to the abandoned book. 

Giles looked troubled. "Hmm. This is not good. I'm going to have to have a talk with her. "

"That is, if you'll be able to find her, " Xander chipped in. 

Giles looked over at him, nodding and murmuring, "Yes, if I can find her…. "

"Lemme talk to her first, Giles, " Willow butt in. He regarded her and she gave a begging look. 

"Please? I know she's been drifting lately, but I think she feels like she can never take a break and be completely away from the whole slayage-thing. Everyone needs vacation days, even Slayers, you know. "

Giles frowned. "Yes, I suppose so…"

"Good! Ok, so you agree then. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be able to sort this out. "

Giles sighed in admission. "All right. "

~

The two girls were on a walk. It was an overcast day, casting a cool darkness on the whole world below. A breeze shivered through, dipping the trees and ruffling the bushes, and sending the odd leaf scurrying noisily on concrete. 

Buffy sighed. It was a nice day. The kind of day that easily allowed your mind to wander. 

"So what I'm saying is, even though you got to feel like you can go and do stuff like that on your own, you still have your duties. I mean I'm sure you know that. But-"

Willow was attempting to explain to her friend and was stuttering pretty bad. 

"Giles. He's getting bothered and I'm sure the last thing you need right now is one of his responsibility lectures. So I guess it's better to sorta get it from me? "

Buffy nodded, gazing across the landscape, listening but not saying anything. Willow tried yet another angle. 

"Ok, if not for your slaying duties, what about for your health? I heard you didn't even have dinner last night. If-if you start-well, skipping a meal isn't-isn't good. "

"Actually, I kinda had dinner out, " Buffy said, wincing. 

"Oh. " Willow said. Then, 

"Oh! "

"What? What was _that_ Oh for? " Buffy demanded. 

Willow smiled. 

"You met a guy, didn't you! " 

"_What? _" Buffy scoffed, 

"You're insane. No, of course not. "

But Willow didn't seem convinced. "You had _dinner_ with him, didn't you? " she prodded, grinning suggestively. 

"No! Willow, it wasn't like that. "

Her friend gaped at her, smiling. 

"A-ha! So it _was_ a guy! "

"What? No! Wait. How did you-how'd you gather that? "

"You said it wasn't like _thaaaat_…. but that means it was like _something_…. therefore it's true! "

Buffy blinked. 

"Oh, just cut it out, " she said, picking up the pace in her step. 

"This is so great. You've finally met somebody new and are moving on and all that good stuff. But you're still too unsure of it to tell the rest of us, " Willow fleshed out her story. 

Buffy just rolled her eyes. "Will, I didn't meet anyone. "

"You sure? "

"_Yes_. "

Willow watched her a moment, and then smiled. 

"She met someone, " she murmured to herself. 

--------------------------------------------------------


	2. Part 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Ooo baby, do you know what that's worth? 

Ooo, Hea-ven is a place on Earth. 

They say in Heaven, love comes first! 

We'll make Hea-ven a place on Earth! – Belinda Carlisle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Part Two

"People don't know what it's like. They really and simply can't imagine. That's how I figure. That's why when you try to explain to them, they just don't seem to _get_ it. It's inconceivable for them. Too alien. They've been a part of the in-crowd their whole lives. "

Buffy nodded as the British accent rolled on. 

"We, on the other hand, have been outsiders most of our lives. Separated. True, not entirely. But there are things that are different, things that no matter what, you just can't compensate for. That line can't be crossed, see? No matter how hard one tries, you still gonna be the one that doesn't be-long. "

"And you'd think…you'd think it wouldn't matter at first. That it's too small of a difference, that nobody would notice, or care. Everyone created equals and … all that garbage. But that's just not how the real world works. I don't think they had the demon world in mind when they penned that one up, anyhow, " he said, smirking. 

"But it eats away at you, sort of like the rift is growing wider each day. Until it's obvious beyond a doubt. That you don't really belong anywhere on this world, not were you're currently at, anyway-you start to realize the truth, that you're just a ghost drifting about in _their_ world. "

"Exactly. That's how it feels like. You know exactly what it's like, " she said driftingly, amazed at his accuracy. She blinked lazily at the TV light, the sound a mere background noise to Spike's talking. 

"And you know, you'll get told there's no rift, that it doesn't matter, that there is no tear separating you. And you'll believe it, for a while. But then you'll start to feel more and more empty about things until it seems like they've lost all meaning. And you can't let them lie to you anymore-or lie to yourself. To deny what you truly are; well. Truth hurts, luv, but lies hurt deeper. "

Spike sipped the beer thoughtfully, before continuing. 

"So you got to be strong, Slayer. I don't know what else to say. I don't think anyone's fully accepted and been able to live with the rift. It's not something to survive. It's more of a thing…to endure. "

As he stopped talking, he noticed her breathing had slowed a great deal. Looking over to the Slayer who was laid out on the couch, he realized she had fallen asleep. 

For a moment he just sat there, watching, amazed that she was comfortable enough around him to just fall asleep. He slowly rose from his seat and looked down on her fondly. 

She looked so peaceful at rest. The hard, dangerous Slayer exterior she always had, softened and melted, to a more young, child-like expression…the hunter transformed into just a girl. A lonely, beautiful girl…

Spike caught himself reaching out to trace her sleeping features. No, he couldn't risk waking her. Quietly he took off his duster and slowly, oh so carefully, covered her with it. She sighed softly. 

Watching her, he allowed himself to carefully tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. 

"Goodnight, Buffy, " he whispered softly, before quietly retreating. 

Yes, he had his own bed-he often slept on the couch instead, but he did have one. Tonight he used it, lying awake on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep while the Slayer was here, only a short distance away, tranquilly asleep. Here, in his crypt. Who would have imagined? So no, he laid awake all night, of course. He would have to stay awake in the off chance of some demon dropping by. He couldn't let anything happen to her. 

And besides. He wouldn't have been able to rest if his unlife depended on it. 

So instead, he just lied there, completely focused on the sounds of her steady breathing, and the rhythmic beating of her heart. 

~

Buffy Summers sighed contentedly. A lazy feeling of warm fuzziness was all over her, like a heavy blanket, keeping her in the world of sleep even as she started to wake. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so at ease, so peaceful. She could have stayed like that forever, perhaps. 

Distractedly, she mused at the fact that her bed felt so much nicer this morning. It was glowing with warmth and melded around her body in a perfect impression, keeping her from being able to move much-if she wanted to. 

Burying her face under the blanket, she inhaled deeply, humming happily. It smelled so nice. Her mostly unconscious mind tried to place exactly what it was. It was a very comfortable smell, all around her. She smiled, nuzzling the blanket. 

And then her eyes snapped open. 

Spike. 

It…smelled like Spike. 

Oh, _shit. _

She just kept very, very still a moment. All she could see was blackness as the blanket still covered her head. _Shit_, she cursed again mentally. She didn't remember anything about last night. What…. happened? 

Calm down, Buffy, she told herself. Let's not jump to any conclusions. Just piece the puzzle together. I'm in bed; and-

Suddenly it dawned on her that she _wasn't_ in bed. Well, to be more exact-she wasn't in _her_ bed. 

Oh. Ok. Well…. crap. That's not good. I'm not in my bed and everything smells like Spike. 

Her heart leaped as she feared for the worst. 

Slowly-very slowly-she peeked out from under her blanket. She was staring up at a concrete ceiling. Concrete ceiling, her mind repeated, still a little slow…

The ceiling to Spike's crypt, that was it. But-

Cautiously leaning up, she finally discovered she was on his couch, alone. Buffy let out a sigh of relief. 

Ok, huh, heh, just on his couch, her mind laughed nervously. 

She slowly moved to a sitting position, and found that the blanket draped over her actually was Spike's duster. 

Oh. He must of put it over her when she fell asleep. That's so…sweet. 

Wake up, girl, her mind ordered. C'mon, Buffy, get with the program here. What day is it today? What time is it? Is it too late to sneak back home or is it morning? Will mom be worrying? 

Oh, and where's Spike? 

"'Mornin', sunshine, " a voice called perkily. Well, that answered her last question. 

"Humph, " she answered, trying to rub sleep out of her eyes. The vampire materialized, looking quite animated as he brushed past her. 

"I fell asleep? " she asked, still not quite able to recall the events of last night. 

"You fell asleep, " he confirmed. "The only thing I could think…was that I was damn well boring you with all that talking, " he said, grinning, as he shambled over to what he called the 'kitchen'. 

"Oh…" she said, rolling her neck, accompanied by several pops. 

"Just for the record, I'd be making scrambled eggs right about now and, you know, offering for you to join me for breakfast, but that's not easy to do when one doesn't have eggs nor a stove, so…" he chattered, smiling pertly at her. 

She nodded, smiling. "Thanks for the thought. "

"I guess…it's morning. Huh. Ok, well, Jeez, it's…what day is it again? "

"Saturday, " he supplied, amused at her disorientation. 

She started to talk to herself. 

"Right! Saturday. I knew that. Ok. Then…good. I could just tell mom I stayed over at Willows'. Unless, that is…she already went over to my house looking for me…"

She scrunched her brow. "Hmm. That wouldn't be good. "

"Better catch em' now then, right? " Spike said, keeping perfect track of what she had been saying. Oh yeah, heightened hearing, Buffy forgot about that…

"Um, yeah. Right. "

He smiled again, jesting, 

"I'd walk you to the door, but-poof! "

He gestured himself going up in smoke. 

"Yeah, better not, " she said, getting up and unwrinkling his coat. 

Walking over to him, she handed him back the coat. 

"Thanks, " she said, and he just smiled back lightly. 

"No problem, luv. "

Once she left, the vampire sat there, perched on the stool, looking thoughtful. He waited a few minutes to be sure she wasn't coming back. 

Then he brought the duster to his face and breathed deeply, eyes rolling shut as he let out a soft moan. 

"Nice, nice. Slayer all over my jacket, " he growled greedily. 

~

Buffy was walking quickly through the cool of the morning, hoping to get back home a. s. a. p., because the quicker she did that, the more time she had to come up with a good excuse for her disappearance. 

Soon she was on her neighborhood sidewalk, the court with her house in her sights, and she sighed, visibly relieved. Almost home free. 

"Hey, Buffy! Wow, you're up early this morning! "

She turned to see Willow's eager face, catching up to her. 

"Oh, hey! "

"Isn't it a nice day? This is why I get up on Saturday mornings instead of just sleeping through them like the rest of the world. So much worth it, huh? " she said, breathing deep. 

"Aah! So peaceful and quiet. You're up for a hike too, aren't you? C'mon, we can both hike down to the park. I hear they're building a-a, skating ramp thingy or something there. "

Buffy was giving a sort of overly cheery smile, trying to excuse her way out of it. 

"That sounds great, Will. I just gotta check back home first-I uh, um, forgot something. "

"All right, you want me to come along? I haven't said hi to Dawn a while-"

"No, that's ok, " Buffy said, smiling, as she started backing towards her house. 

"I just got to pick up something real quick-it'll only take a minute. I just need to get, um…. "

"Hey. Aren't those the same clothes you had on yesterday? " Willow wondered out loud. Buffy stuttered. 

"No! I mean, er, yes. I'm…really lazy when it comes to laundry lately, " she said, laughing. 

Willow smiled. "Yeah, I know what that's like. "

"I'll be right back then, " Buffy said, turning to take off towards her house. Whew, that was a close-

"Dawn! What're you doing here? " she demanded, as her little sister rode up on her bicycle. Dawn scoffed. 

"It's a free country, Buffy, " she said. 

"Hey Dawn! Long time no see, " Willow greeted happily behind Buffy. 

"Hey Will. We were trying to reach you, you know. To ask were _Buffy's_ been. You're gonna be in deep trouble, you know that, right? " she said, directing her last comment to Buffy. The Slayer glared back at her. 

"Oh! I didn't realize you were, um, looking for her. "

"I stayed over at Willow's house, " Buffy said automatically. Her friend gave her an odd look. 

"But-"

"Isn't that _right, _Willow? " she grated, giving her a meaningful look. 

Willow bobbed her head. "Right. She was-at my house. "

Dawn made a face. "Whatever. Mom's still gonna be ticked. Not that _I_ care. See ya, " she said, taking off on her bike again. Buffy sighed. 

"Ugh. Close one, " she muttered. 

"Buf, what was that all about? "

Buffy turned on her much-too-sweet smile again. 

"Uh, thanks for covering for me, Will! You're a real pal. "

Buffy could see the little gears working behind her friend's eyes. 

"So you didn't come home last night…which means…"

"Which means…" her eyes lit up. 

"_You_ spent it somewhere else. And I think I know were that is-"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Not this again. Willow, enough with that theory of yours! "

Willow was smiling, looking quite pleased with herself. 

"Sounds like you and your friend are more than just friends now, " she said a matter-of-factly. 

"No way! " Buffy protested quickly, 

"So very, very wrong. Very. "

"Oh? "

"Yes. I fell asleep, nothing happen-"

"_Hah_! "

Buffy's eyes widened. "Aarrgh! How do you keep _doing_ that? "

"It's a talent, " she said, still thrilled over her victory. 

"Well you can just drop it right here and now. OK? "

"But why? "

"Because. It's…nothing. That's all. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nothing. Natta. Comprender? "

"You forgot 'The Big O'. "

"Whatever. I got to check in with mom. I'll be right back. "

"All right, " Willow said, deciding to drop the issue for the time being. 

------------------------------------------------------------------

*Be-leep-be-leep-be-leep-be-leep!*

The slick new cellular phone sprang to life. Buffy moaned, wishing her mom hadn't gotten her that thing after all. "Now you can be reached in case of an emergency no matter were you are, "she had said, and it sounded like a very wise investment, indeed. But Jeez, sometimes it's just bad timing. The Slayer had spent the weekend doing something she very much needed; relaxing. She had just finished with a light little dinner at the new Italian-wanna-be restaurant, enjoying the time to be alone with her thoughts. Poking at the cheesecake she had treated herself to, she grudgingly dug out her cell phone, which was still rudely yelling at her, and answered it. 

"Yeah? "

"Buffy, I'm sorry to bother you, but I have a bit of distressing news. "

It was Mr. Giles on the other line. 

"What happened? "

"Well, it's Xander and Willow. They were attacked by something, some type of large _insect_, apparently. "

"Well is everyone ok? " she asked, quickly forgetting about the cheesecake. 

"Oh, yes, no harm was done. Willow managed to ward them off with some holy water, lucky to have had some. "

"Holy water? " Buffy repeated, raising a brow. 

"Yes, very strange, I know. I've been able to look them up but there's very little information to be found on them. I'm calling a meeting, I think you should get down here. "

"Right, I'm on it. " She said, weeding through her wallet to quickly drop a tip on the table. 

"Oh, and Buffy? "

"What? "

"I think you should contact Spike about this. I have reason to believe he'd be useful in this matter. "

She paused. "Er…why's that? "

"Something I've read-it would be very helpful to get as much information as we can on these demons. I can explain it all when you get down here, Buffy. You think you'll have trouble getting him to come down? "

"No, no, it's no problem. I can swing by his place on the way over. I'll be there as soon as I can. "

"Good. See you soon. "

~

"You'll never guess what I just found out. Apparently, there's supposed to be this whole shooting-star thing going on tonight. "

Spike pulled a face of disgust. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and tried looking nonchalant. 

"Well, if you're really that bored, Slayer, there might be something worth checking out…"

Shaking his head, he thought a moment, and switched postures, to a more self-assured one, giving a tiny smile. 

"You know what I think? I think some fresh air would do us some good. Or at least you, anyway, seeing as I don't really need any…"

He tilted his head at the mannequin he was addressing, as if trying to read its response. 

Then he brought his hand to his chin, in a very thoughtful posture. 

"Have you ever seen a meteor shower before, Slayer? "

The creak of his crypt door upstairs jerked Spike out of his practice session. 

"All ready? It's only 6:30 or something. Aren't we getting inpatient, " he said, giving an alluring smile to his Buffy-mannequin, before pulling a cigarette out of his pack to light. 

Opening the hatch, he climbed out of the basement, the cindering tube between his teeth. 

"'Evenin', " he called as she shut the hatch. 

"Aaaaand if you're a good girl tonight, I 'spose I could show you were I keep the good stuff, not that cheap light crap…nuh-uh, this stuff's _imported, _" he said, grinning, referring to his alcohol selection. 

Buffy smiled, still at the threshold of the door. 

"Um…actually, Spike, I'm sort of here on business right now. "

"Oh. " He said, straightening up, quickly turning serious. 

"'Course, of course. What's up? "

~

"Ok, I'm back. Hey, shouldn't Buffy be here by now? "

Giles answered Willow's question behind a pile of books he was searching through. 

"Oh-well, yes, soon, I would think. I told her to contact Spike for us. "

"Great. Just what we need to make our happy little party complete, " Xander muttered. 

"Oh, are we having a party? How come nobody told me about this? " Anya protested. Xander handed her a book. "Just keep looking for the psycho bugs, ok? "

"All right, folks, the show can start, " Buffy announced as she entered the shop, Spike's lanky forum sauntering behind her. 

"Hey Buf. Nice way to spend a Sunday night, huh? "

The Slayer smirked as she took a seat by a table. Spike leaned against a bookshelf, a little distanced from the group. 

"Sure, why not. You ok, Willow? "

The redhead nodded. "Not a scratch on me, but it sure looked like it was capable of some major damage, " she said, as if fascinated. 

"Yeah, if you consider getting your head bit off as major damage, I'd say so, " Xander added, leaning back on his chair at a dangerous angle. 

"Ahem. If you'll allow me to interrupt, I can share what it is we know so far about these things, " Giles said, an ancient looking book in hand. 

"Of course, Giles, go ahead. " Buffy prompted. 

He shoved his glassed up to read the scripture in front of him. 

"From what I can tell of the descriptions they have, I've located the right ones. They're called _Vatra Insekats-_translating, literally, into _Fire Bugs. _Not very well known, considering the complete lack of their mention in most volumes. "

"Wait, Giles. What kind of demons are we dealing with here? I need size, number of heads, that sort of thing…"

He looked to her. "They're much like giant wasps, to use crude terms. They have six legs and four wings like normal insects do, but that's pretty much were the similarities end. They have feet and toes that have a sort of suction to them; like a gecko's. Long, furry antennae, several strong, horizontal-working jaws, you know, that sort of thing…"

"No compound eyes, though. They were huge, looked like a snake's, " Willow added. 

"So it's safe to say it has some pretty keen vision, " Buffy assessed. 

"It moves really well, too. It was hopping around on the ground like a frog, _vooom_, right over our heads, " Xander said, gesturing with his hands. 

"Y-yes. Well, it's fairly large, around the range of a large dog. And, besides that, " Giles said, letting the book _thunk_ to the table, 

"There's very little else we know. "

"Wait. That's it? "

Giles nodded. "Yes. That and the fact that at least two of them are on the loose in Sunnydale. And they don't seem fond of holy water. "

"There's gotta be more. Out of all of those books? " Buffy asked with disbelief. 

Giles looked apologetically to her. "Some demons are just more secretive than others. We were hoping that perhaps Spike recognized them. For some reason they seem heavily linked with vampires were ever they're mentioned, but everything I've read is too cryptic to make sense of. "

All eyes turned to the bleach-blonde who had been quietly listening throughout the entire conversation. 

"What do you think? " Buffy asked. The vampire paused, still in his nonchalant position, then asked, 

"Lemme see that book, Slayer. "

She handed it over to him. After studying it for a few moments, he put it down, nodding to himself. 

"Right, I know these guys. "

"You do? "

"Yeah. Didn't recognize that funky name. We just knew em' as Blood Vultures, " he said, seeming to enjoy the attention everyone was giving him, so feeding them the information nice and slow. 

"_We_ meaning vampires, right? "

He gave Willow a sideways glance. 

"No, _we_ meaning you and I. _A'course_ I mean vampires. "

"Ok, ahem. We clarified that part. Moving along-" Buffy said, giving him a stern look. He carried on as if never interrupted. 

"So the reason we called em' that, is because of their feeding habits. They would follow us around and wait 'till a kill's been made, then feed on the leftovers. They used to be everywhere, really, like the vermin of the underworld, but that was a lot longer ago than any of you could remember. "

"So what happened to them? If they were so numerous, I mean. " Giles asked. 

Spike shrugged. "Plague of some sort wiped em' all out. Or so I thought. Didn't think there were any survivors. "

"Ok, great. So they're just a few lone surviving ones. That shouldn't be too hard to take care of, " Buffy said optimistically. 

Spike shook his head. "Slayer, weren't you listening to the story? These obviously aren't normal ones. "

She frowned at him, not understanding. 

"Normally they are tranquil, peaceful demons, " he explained. 

"They don't go around killing stuff themselves. Their job is just to hone in on and track hunting vampires and then get the leftover blood. Were these guys-"

"Went out of their way to attack me and Xander, " Willow finished. 

Buffy nodded. "Ok. Fine. So they're pissed off ones? "

"Perhaps there's a reason they went after you two in particular, " Giles wondered. 

"Maybe for some reason they don't like witches? " Xander suggested. 

"You're not a witch. At least that I know of, " Buffy pointed out. He made a face. 

"I know that. But they seemed mostly interested in Willow. I was just sort of caught in the crossfire, I think. Got a much better look at them then she did, " he explained. 

"All right, so they're not acting like normal ones. But they'll still die the same way, right? How do you kill them? " Buffy said, eager to get out on the field were her skills belonged, not among the dusty books. 

"Well, never felt the need to kill one before, but I know they can carry on just fine without their heads. Losin' a few hearts doesn't seem to bother them much either, " Spike said. 

"Huh. Sounds fun, " Buffy said sarcastically, 

"But what's it take to _kill_ them? "

"Well, my vote's you get a really, really big can of Bug-Off and one of those jumbo squirt guns…. "

"Very funny. "

The vamp smirked. "I do my best. "

"Uh-huh. Getting back to the killing thing…"

He sighed, as if annoyed. 

"There's only two things I can think of that'll really do it. "

Xander started to amuse himself by tossing a pencil in the air and catching it with one hand, obviously growing bored. 

"Aaaaaand? " Buffy asked when the vampire stayed quiet. 

"Aaaaand what's it worth to you? " he asked, giving a smug smile. 

"Spike! "

"What? "

"What do you mean, _'Wot? ' _Stop playing dumb with me! "

"What makes you say I'm playing dumb? "

*dink*, went Xander's pencil as he dropped it on the floor. 

"You're right, you probably don't have to act it, must come as second nature to you. "

"Oh! God smite me were I stand, I don't think I can take the cruelty. " He said, voice laden with sarcasm. Giles spoke up. 

"Ahem, perhaps we should get on with this soon, before the Insekats leave the general area they were spotted in-"

"Hey! Are you interrupting us here? " Buffy asked, annoyed. 

"Because if you want to do that, you're going to have to yell over the top of_ her_, " Spike added. 

"Now how 'bout answering my question. _How do you kill them? "_

How 'bout answering mine? _What's it worth to you? _"

"Spike! "

Looking quite entertained, Spike answered, 

"All right, sorry, sorry. But you're gonna owe me, " he sang. 

*dink*, Xander dropped his pencil again. 

"That's nice, " she said back, imitating his sing-song voice. 

"Number one. WHAP! " he said, slapping his hands together, causing everyone in the room to jump, 

"Smash em' like a bug. Obviously. You bash em' up enough and they'll finally get the idea through to them and die. "

"Nice n' gory. I'm sure you'd love it. Next option, " Buffy said shortly. He rolled his eyes. 

"You're not gonna like option B, " he warned. 

"Oh, and how would you know? "

"Believe me, I know. "

*dink* went the pencil. 

"Xander, will you stop that! Can you two please stop chatting and get to the point of things-"

The two answered him at the same time. 

"We're not chatting. "

"You interrupted again. "

Xander just froze, pencil in hand, looking from Giles to Buffy and Spike, who were now conversing about a foot away from each other. 

Demon and Slayer carried on. 

"Well? "

"You've got to drown them. "

"So what's so awful about that? "

"They don't react well to being drowned. It really rather irks them, " he said, smiling at the knowledge he was holding back. 

"Give it up, Spike. "

"I think it's too graphic for a young girl. "

"Spike, if you don't stop with the dumb comments, I'll give you something graphic-"

"Ooo! I love it when you talk dirty, " he shot back, knowing he'd probably regret it, and not caring. 

The Slayer stared back daringly into his eyes for several seconds. 

"Got stake. " She said simply. 

"Ah, well, in that case. They're called fire bugs for a reason. Dose em' with water and they light up like firecrackers. Real fun to watch. From a safe distance, anyway. Seems to set their skin on fire as a defense. Pretty sure they can fry you from the inside out while they're like that, " he said, suddenly giving all his information out very quickly, his British accent more predominant as he spoke faster. 

"Not a fun feeling as you might imagine. So yeah, best to not get on their bad side. Use enough water and you drown them-too little and it's tea time, if you catch my drift. "

She nodded. "Uh-huh, I getcha. "

"Why didn't it go all psycho on me when I hit it with the holy water, then? " Willow spoke up, a bit leery of breaking the quick conversation, but the question was killing her. 

"Good question. I'd guess for some reason the holy water, bein' holy an' all, didn't trigger it's usual defense, so instead scared it off. " Spike quickly estimated. 

"Yeah! Good thinking, that makes sense. So we can use that, " Buffy said eagerly to him. 

"Mark your bloody calendars, I think she just complimented me, " he said in mock awe. 

"Stuff it. Giles, we're gonna need a lota holy water and, um…heck, I have a coupla Super Soakers at home, " she said, thinking quickly. 

"Wait, Buffy, you're planning to hunt them down tonight? " Giles asked, sounding nervous. 

"Hey. My bug spray idea, " Spike commented. 

"Yes, might as well do this now. Spike, you think that'll be enough water for us? "

He shrugged. "Probably. What do you mean, _us_? "

"You're coming with me, " she said, going over to were the shop kept it's holy water. 

"Now just hang on a soddin' minute! I don't recall volunteering for this. " He complained, trailing behind her. 

"You have to. Need a vampire, remember? If we want to find these things it's gotta have something to home in on. " She said reasonably as she unloaded jar after jar of water. Giles started to say something, but stopped, deciding it was most safe to keep quiet when they started arguing again. He looked helplessly at Willow instead, who shrugged. Xander started to chew on the pencil. 

"But, Buffy-it needs to think I'm about to make a kill. "

"So? Just get in 'Grr' mode, you know. What's so tough about that? "

Spike licked his lips. "Hey, it's not like flicking a light switch. It requires the proper motivation. "

"Fine, sounds like a deal to me. You gimmie a Grr face and I'll provide the motivation, " 

she said, painting a very excited expression on the vamp's face, and turned to rap out orders to the Scoobies. 

"Willow, Giles, it would be great if we could find out what these fire bugs have against witches. Maybe they're susceptible to magicks or something. You should investigate, "

"In the meantime Spike and I are gonna try and track these two down, do something if we can. Xander, you said you got the best look at these guys, so if they're something visibly different about them or their behavior from the normal bugs, it may give us a clue, so you can help them out. And-and _why_ is everyone just staring at me? Hello? "

The whole group was in fact staring at her, still silent. 

"Ok, hi. Am I still here or what? " Buffy asked, growing unnerved. Spike suddenly realized that eyes were flickering from him back to Buffy and back to him again. 

"Hey! What're you all gobbin' at me for? "

Xander coughed, finally daring to break the group's silence. 

"Aahm. Well, besides the fact that you hardly let any of us get a word in edgewise, which I know _I_ personally found amusing, but can only speak for myself…you two are just acting…well, all buddy-buddy, and personally, it's starting to scare me. "

Buffy gave a short laugh. "_What? "_

"Ditto on that _what?_ "

"Woah. Ok, settle down, " Xander said, holding has hands up in a gesture of defeat, 

"Just tellin' it like it is. "

Buffy looked from Xander to the rest of the Scoobies, who had decided at that point in time that the crack on the far wall or a paragraph on Fletcher demons was much more interesting. 

"Look, whatever, Xander. I'll chew you out later for that, I don't have time for this right now. C'mon, Spike, " she said, grabbing as many jars of water as she could carry on her way out. 

The vampire glanced nervously around at the group, as all eyes were now on him. 

"Ahem, 'scuse me, " he said, grinning as he gingerly gathered up the remaining jars. 

"Can't keep the Slayer waiting, " he said, as he backed up out of the shop, unable to suppress a gloating smile. As the bells jangled, Anya, who had been sleeping face-down in a book for quite some time now, jumped. 

"Wha? Huh? Welcome to the Magic Shop, " she said automatically, and frowned. 

"Hey. Where'd they go? "

Xander just sighed. 

-----------------------------------------------------

The two traveled in relative silence. They had just loaded up the guns from Buffy's house and grabbed a few other pieces of weaponry, and were on their way to the spot were Xander and Willow had been attacked. The night was dark and deep, the crickets chirruping as the only constant background sound, the sounds accenting the sparkle of the stars above. 

"We're not acting buddy-buddy, are we? "

She had asked it quite out of the blue, it seemed, but obviously it had been playing on her mind. Spike looked up to meet her hazel eyes, completely unsure of how to reply. He opted to go the safest route and forced a laugh. 

"Of course not. "

Buffy laughed nervously. "Yeah, that's insane. I don't know what Xander was thinking. "

He nodded. "We were getting' the bloody job done, that's all. "

"Yeah, exactly. So-well-we didn't waste any time, you know, getting pissed at each other. That's-what they wanted, right? For us to be decent to each other, I guess. For the job's sake. So they have no reason to complain. " She stated. 

"Right. "

"They're just being exaggerative…"

"Mm-hmm. "

There was a pause, but Buffy wasn't quite ready to let it go. 

"I mean, it's not like we're doing anything _wrong_…"

"Absolutely not. "

"We just…talk sometimes. That doesn't mean we're, you know, friends or anything…"

"'Course. "

"I mean, we still hate each other an' all…"

He stopped walking to look at her. 

"If you ever got that chip outta you, you'd kill me the first chance you got. As so would I. "

"Sure. " he answered, feeling his heart crumble. 

"We're just . . . two people who . . . sometimes have some civil conversations. Because we can . . . understand certain things about . . . each other that other people can't. " she said in broken sentences. 

"There's no reason to not do that. All that killing and hating stuff can come later, I mean, sure. But right now, no reason to not talk if we wanna talk. "

He nods. "No reason at all. "

There was a sudden flash in the sky above them. 

"Quick, I got one, right here, " he pointed out, reacting fast. 

The Slayer quickly moved to see one of these shooting stars he had mentioned earlier. 

"Oh wow. " She said, catching sight of the impressive bluish arc dart across the sky before it melted away like a snowflake. 

"That was a huge one. "

He smiled as they just stood together, gazing at the sky, the crickets sounding like an ocean around them. 

"So you gonna tell your friends? Were you've been disappearing to, I mean. "

"Oh, no, " she answered. 

"I mean, it's not like we're eloping, " she said, laughing lightly at how that sounded. 

He smiled again. "Right. Because we still hate each other. "

"Mm-hmm, " she murmured in agreement, their coats brushing as she shifted her stance to a more comfortable one. 

They both fell silent, and rather than move, just continued to stand and watch the sky, the moment stretching on into minutes. The demons they were supposed to be hunting seemed so easy to forget. 

"Demons probably aren't gonna get much further in just five more minutes, " she murmured. 

"Yeah. Those blood vultures are slow, anyway. " 

Truth be known, one of Mr. Giles' books clearly states that the _Vatra Insekat _can reach speeds up to 80 miles per hour on the wing. As Spike knew all too well. 

----------------------------------------------------


	3. Part 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

I like to see you, but then again,   
That doesn't mean you mean that much to me  
So if I call you, don't make a fuss  
Don't tell your friends about the two of us  
I'm not in love, no, no . . . – Olive, I'm Not in Love

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Part Three

"Good morning, " Xander chimed as Buffy made her way down the hall, backpack slung over one shoulder. 

"Uhhh, " She answered, blinking at the bright fluorescent tubes and tugging at the strap. 

"Nice to see you so chipper, " he quipped. 

"This whole living two separate lives thing kinda wears you thin, " she said groggily, smiling. 

"Do tell. So how'd that go last night? "

"Ugh. Total bust. We didn't see heads or tails of those buggers, " she answered. 

"Huh. Bummer, " he said, pausing purposefully for a full five seconds, before adding in a voice that was still too loud to count as a mutter, 

"At least you still got to spend some quality time together. "

"Aah yes, thanks for reminding me. I owe you a chew-out, that's right, " Buffy said, stretching, trying to fully waken up. She should have had some coffee this morning. 

"Now, _first_ of all-when I finally establish a proper work etiquette, what do you go and do? Complain about it. I think you just like to have something to complain about, " she said, suddenly snapping from her reverie into her lecture mode in a breath of a moment. 

Xander snorted. "You called that proper etiquette? "

"Yes, of course I do. We figured it out, we got the job done, right? And _second_ of all, let's talk about priorities, mister-"

"Woah, what do you know? I'm late for class, " Xander said with false regret. 

Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said enthusiastically, 

"We're gonna have to finish this conversation later on. Sorry, but hey-priorities, you know, " and took off towards his class. 

She sighed with irritation but just watched him go. _Well, with luck, he'll be smart and just forget it, _she thought. Buffy doubted the likelihood of that, though. 

~

"And so after Xander brought that pile of books from the library over, we _finally_ were able to find mention of them, and came up with _this_, "

Willow said, proudly displaying a page out of an old spellbook. Buffy nodded approvingly. 

"Great. So they _are_ vulnerable to magic? "

"Absolutely. This is a very simple spell, in fact, and it's supposed to ward them off. Sort of like a really big dose of bug repellent, " she said, smirking. 

"In fact it's supposed to be so good it sends them running back to the gates of Hell or something similar to that effect, " she said, going over the book again. 

"That's handy. No killing required. "

"Yep. See, all I need is a few candles, some tiger's eye, um, that's the stone, in case that wasn't clear-not actual tiger's eye. It's a rock _called_ Tiger's Eye. It's really pretty, reflecty and all that-anyway, a little bit of dried elecampane, huh, I guess what repels normal bugs'll work for demons, too? That's cool, " she said, pausing from her magic spell lecture to glance at Buffy, whose eyes were meandering along the wall lazily. 

"You're listening, right? "

"Mm-hm. "

"-and a few other of those strong-smelling herbs, you know, like basil and bay and the sort, and so we were gonna do the spell tonight right before you went out on patrol, because it has to be done at night, see, " Willow rambled on, 

"And, so, Giles was saying how you should keep an eye out for them tonight, like, patrol in the same area as last night, but _not_ try and draw them to you. Just watch for them while you do the usual vampire-killing thing, you know? Carry the holy water with you and stuff. But with luck you won't even see them at all, the spell's supposed to start taking effect within a few mere hours, so you just gotta be out there to make sure there's no more bugs in town. "

She stopped for some sort of reply from Buffy. Hearing the pause, she automatically answered. 

"Mm-hmm, I getcha, Willow. "

Willow gave her a suspicious look, and carried on, careful to keep her voice in the same conversational tone as before. 

"Right. So that's our plan. On a side note of things having to do with the Vatra Insetkats, Giles found out that the world is actually ending tomorrow, instead of like, in a few dozen centuries from now, and Xander made a joke that was actually funny about that, and oddly enough the sun rose in the West this morning, in case you didn't notice that. You got all that? "

"Mm-hmm, " Buffy murmured. 

"Oh, I also decided today that I'm going to be moving to Hawaii to spend my days as a peddler selling coconuts, and Xander's gonna be helping with the advertisement. Willow's Homemade Coconut Milk, I think it has a nice ring to it. Sound good to you? "

"Mm-hmm. "

"Oh, and Buffy? "

"Hm? "

"I don't think you're listening. "

"Of course I am, Will. "

"What did you just agree to? "

Buffy blinked. "Uh, that the spell's a great idea, we should go ahead with it. "

"Buffy. "

"What? "

"I just told you I was moving to Hawaii to sell coconuts. Are you feeling all right? "

Buffy laughed. "I'm fine. What? I thought you hated coconuts. "

Willow frowned. "I don't hate them, I just hate it when they sweeten it too much, like that grated stuff they put on ice-cream. "

"You think it's too _sweet_? That junk's great! "

"Buffy, I think we're getting off track here. "

"Oh. Yeah. " she said. Willow waited. 

"Um. Were exactly is the track again? "

Willow snickered. 

"You are way out of it. "

"I am not. I just didn't get much sleep last night. "

"Neither did I. And I'm just a regular ol' person without all those lovely Slayer accessories. "

"Hmmph. You weren't out huntin' for demons all night. "

"You think pouring over piles of books all night is any better? "

"Ick. Sorry, I guess not. " She apologized. 

The two sat there a moment, and Buffy sighed again, gazing out the window absent-mindedly. 

"You're thinking about him, aren't you? "

"No. Willow! You said you'd drop that! "

She grinned. "I know. But that's what you're thinking about. You're obviously distracted for some reason. "

"No, I'm not thinking about that because there _is_ no 'that'. " Buffy pronounced. 

"Fine. Whatever you say. " Willow said, shutting the book and packing it into her backpack. 

"I'll see you this evening then, just before patrol. "

"Xander's gonna be there, right? I haven't finished lecturing him yet. "

"Oh, yeah. Huh, I feel bad for him. I really should warn him to not come…" she said, smiling. 

"Don't worry, I'm going easy on him. But the nerve! You could have backed me up, you know, instead of staring at the wall. You don't _believe_ him, do you? "

"Oh, no, no-it was just-you know, came as a bit of a surprise. We just weren't expecting it, " she said, smiling nervously, not wanting to provoke the wrath of the Slayer. 

"Well, don't worry 'bout it. With luck we won't need _his_ help often anyway, " she said, swinging her own pack on her shoulders. 

"See ya tonight then, " Buffy added, leaving Willow alone in the library. The redhead watched a moment and then screwed her face up in a funny look, as her mind made a connection. 

"I wonder…"

Then she started to crack up at herself. 

"Oh, boy, now _that's_ a good one. "

Her tickled laughter mingled with the outrageous statement. "_Buffy_ and _Spike_…"

-------------------------------------------------

"Knock-knock, " Buffy called, wandering into Spike's crypt. 

"Hello? I just came by to-"

As she passed by the couch she came upon a sleeping Spike, clad only in a pair of black jeans. He jumped awake with a start, giving a startled yell. 

"Aaah! Oh, pff, it's you, " he said, shaking his head. 

"You scared the crap outta me, Slayer. "

"Sorry, I'm sorry-I didn't know you were sleeping, " she said, feeling kind of stupid. He waved her apology off. 

"Atch, don't bother over it. My sleeping hours are whacked, " he said, scanning the floor. 

"You could help me find my shirt, though, " Spike added, knowing he had left it around here somewhere…

Buffy stifled a laugh, watching his limber forum as he grouped about on the floor with one hand. 

"Please tell me you do laundry every once in a while, too. "

He gave her an exasperated look. "Of course I do. It's just…been a tight week, budget-wise. " He said seriously, and leaning back into a sitting position on the couch, decided the bloody shirt wasn't worth finding for the moment. 

"Well, I just came by to let you know, um, that Willow found some repellent spell for those blood vultures. May not have to fight em' after all, it's supposed to be pretty effective. "

"Huh. Well, all that starts well ends well, " he said, not really interested in the affairs of a couple of bug-demons. 

"Well, right, thanks for keeping me in the loop. You just dyin' to try out th' good lager, aren't you? "

Buffy smiled. "Yeah, well, I'll have to save it for later. I gotta go. I got…class tomorrow, "

She said, feeling a little self-conscious due to a few factors, one of them being his clothing attire, or lack thereof. 

"Awight, fine. But you dunno what you're missin'. Just a quick nip, does damn bloody wonders for the head when you need to focus, " he said. 

"Spike, it's alcohol. Pretty much doesn't belong in the same sentence as 'focus', " she said, amused at the fact that he seemed truly convinced of his statement. 

"No, no, it all depends on the amount, " he argued, 

"Believe me. I've got experience in this field, plenty of it. A quick nip'll wake you up and help you focus. Has to be _just_ the right amount, " he said, gesturing a teeny amount with his fingers, 

"Works wonders, I swear by it. "

She hesitated. _Now, Buffy, you got to stop hanging around em' so much. You're starting to see more of him than your friends right now. _

Huh, funny choice of words. 

Buffy…

Oh, what the hell. He just wants one drink. Then I'll go. 

~

A jubilant laughter pealed up through the crypt. Buffy Summers had ended up having more than 'just a nip' of Spike's famous new lager, apparently. 

"An' this, ok, are you listening? "

"Yeah, yeah. "

"This, is about, a _leeee-ttle _bit more of a healthy helping, " he said, tipping a bottle into Buffy's glass, and then his. 

She giggled. "Right. Just a touch more. "

"Exactly. Perfect amount, " he agreed. 

The two had amused themselves by watching a marathon on _Cops_ police videos. Buffy didn't really know what time it was…had to be somewhere around…hmmm…. don't have a clue, actually. 

"School. Got school in the morning, " she said, trying to care about that. 

"You'll be damn ready for it then, " Spike told her, gesturing to the glass in his hand. 

"Spike's cure-all, you know. Told you it works miracles. Don't it feel like it has? "

__

Put your hands on your head, drop your weapon! , a crackly voice demanded from the TV. 

"Uh-huh. Somethin' tells me it won't feel the same in the morning, " she said, grinning. 

"That is why I got to write you a prescription for some take-home, " he said, wondering where in the Hell he kept a pen and some paper around here. 

"A-haa, " he said, by sheer dumb luck recalling were he last left some. Fishing under the couch cushions he came up with an old ballpoint and a sheet of Post-Its. 

Scribbling in his well-crafted cursive, although a bit more sloppy in his present state, he wrote the letters Rx. 

"To a Miss. Buffy Summers, " he said out loud, and writing underneath that, 

"2 bottles of Spike's good lager…instructed to take at least 2 doses a day, more if required…"

She laughed as he took the note and stuck it on a bottle. 

"There you go, miss, " he said. She took the bottle, graciously thanking him. 

"Thank you, thank you. "

"Now be sure to stick to your medication, doctor's orders, you know. "

"Oh, don't worry, doctor, I will…Will? _Willow? _"

The redhead was standing in the doorway of the crypt, her eyes bugging out, and seemed to be rendered speechless. 

Spike struggled up from his strewn position on the couch to see what Buffy had been talking about…. oh. Crud, that little redheaded friend of hers. What was she doing here? 

"I-um-", Willow squeaked, still stunned by the situation before her; a still shirt-less Spike, and Buffy sitting on the couch, with a collection of empty bottles on the floor, _Cops_ still playing noisily in the foreground. 

"Just came to-well, Buffy, to find you-I mean, you didn't come back! After the patrol. And we, we were worried-"

Buffy struggled to forum words with her slow mind. 

"Oh, Willow, hang on, it's not-"

"But I see I'm interrupting something here, so, um, see ya later, " she piped, and spun around to quickly exit. 

"Willow! Wait! "

Spike watched, not entirely understanding what difference it made if Red was here or not. That was…bad, right? 

"I got to go, " Buffy said, her mind starting to clear up due to help from the simple shock of reality that had walked through the door a minute ago. 

"Awight, Slayer, hey, don't forget your medicine? "

She glanced at the labeled bottle. "I better get that later. "

And quickly rushed out the door to catch up with her friend. 

The vampire gazed quite indifferently at the bottle. 

"I'll save it for ya, " he said, smiling. 

~

"Willow! Hang on! "

Will turned to see Buffy running to catch up with her. 

"Oh, hey, Buffy. Nice night for a stroll, huh? " she said, turning to continue her fast-paced walk. 

"Willow, stop. Lemme explain here, " she panted, fighting to keep pace beside her. 

She stopped. "Ok, fine. Explain. B-because everything was like, normal one minute, and now, now I find out, oh. Oh, I think I need to sit down, " she said, wavering. 

"Woah, girl, hold on. Here, there's a bench over there. We'll just sit down and calmly discuss this, ok? I'll explain everything. "

"Ok. "

So they made their winding way over to the bench and sat down. 

"Are you, d-drunk, Buffy? "

"No! " she protested immediately. Willow gave her a suspicious look. 

"Ok, look, I had a few-I'm not drunk. Just, what's the phrase…"

"Buzzed? " 

"Yeah. But I'm fine, ok? Everything's fine. "

"No, no, everything's _not_ fine…my best friend's been having shots with _Spike_ of all things…how could everything be fine? _He's_ the guy? "

"Huh, what? I don't understand, " she said, her fogged mind still with its limitations. 

"The guy. The one you've been sneaking away to all this time to visit. Oh, oh Jeez…"

"No! Willow, you're not letting me talk here. You're jumping to conclusions and that's never a good thing. "

Willow nodded. "Yes, you're right. Ok, explain then. "

"Ok, " Buffy said, taking a breath. 

"It's like this. A few weeks ago or whatever, I started having pretty decent conversations with Spike, " she said, wincing, hoping she'd be able to get her to see her side of the story, 

"You know, when he sometimes helps me on patrol. He wasn't just being an annoying jerk. I think he's tired of doing that or something. Quieter, you know, more solemn. Stopped making my life a living hell whenever he was around, "

"And I found out he actually has some intelligent things to say when he isn't wining or trying to kill stuff, "

"Or you, " Willow cut in. Buffy nodded. 

"Or me. I mean, he has some fairly good insights. Sometimes not even that half bad to talk to. "

"But most of all, he was able to understand certain things-that, well, only people, or uh, things in his place could fully know. See, he-"

"You identify with him, " Willow supplied. 

"Yeah! " she said, then tried to tone it down again. 

"I mean, Willow, put yourself in my shoes. It's tough, you know, not being like other people. Having to live your own secret double life. Were most people my age just have the math finals to worry about, I got the whole Slayer-destiny and saving the world from evils and such, " she said. 

"I know, I know it, Buffy. I know it's rough. I'm not saying it isn't, " Willow said. 

"No, but see, I know that you know that it's rough. But that's not enough for you to just know. You don't know…there's a lot that you and other people just can't understand about me. And it's not their fault or because they're stupid, it's just because they've never been there. You get were I'm headed here? I sometimes wanna talk about all these dark, morbid thoughts of death and all these things I have to deal with but nobody ever fully _gets_, so the best I can get is the nice, fluffy, _keep it up Buf you're doin' great. _Not that there's anything wrong with that. I love you guys and your support, it's what keeps me going…" she said, smiling softly. 

"But it just isn't enough sometimes. So I try and find understanding were I can…"

Willow watched a moment, to see if she had anything more to say, before speaking. 

"Ok, Buf. I understand, " she said gently, 

"But don't you think your choice is a little odd? You need understanding, all right, but I don't think this is a very safe place to find it. "

The Slayer gazed out across the park as her friend spoke. 

"We've been worried about you. And for good cause. If you're not careful as to where you find escape, you'll wind up dead sooner than later. And _Spike_…well, Buffy, he's a vampire. A chipped vampire, yes, but that doesn't make him entirely helpless. He can still trick and manipulate and find ways to do things. And Buf, he's still the demon who tried to kill you more than a few times. "

Buffy nodded. 

"And now what it's lead to…is definitely dangerous. "

"What do you mean, lead to? It hasn't lead to anything, " Buffy said, knitting her brows. 

"I think you know what I mean…"

The Slayer frowned, growing a little annoyed. "No, I don't. "

"Buf, there's no reason to pretend. "

She continued to frown, looking at Willow. Then it clicked. 

"No! You're not saying-Will! That's completely untrue! Ugh! How could you suggest that? "

"Look, I don't know how far it's gone, but you obviously have _some_ feelings-"

"No! He means _nothing_ to me! I'm not gonna care about some soulless demon, " she spat. 

Willow raised a brow. "After all the daydreaming? "

"There wasn't any. Not about him. "

"What about the flirting? "

Buffy gaped. "_Flirting? ! _"

"Oh, come _on_, Buffy! Even Xander spotted it. He was the only one with enough guts to point it out. "

"That was _not_ flirting! ! That was diplomacy! I was getting the dumbass to cooperate as quickly as possible! It worked, didn't it? "

Willow sighed. "After you spent about ten minutes with the "diplomacy", yes, it did. "

Buffy scowled. "I'm telling you, Willow, I still hate him. All we did was talk. "

"That's it then? He means absolutely nothing to you. "

Buffy nodded and said firmly, "Right. "

"Then you wouldn't mind ceasing all contact. Starting now. "

"What? "

"You heard me. Stop seeing him. Stop talking, stop visiting his crypt for late-night party bashes, or whatever it is you two do in there, just _stop. _"

"But-"

"If you can do that, then I'm convinced, and he means nothing. "

After a pause, 

"Fine! Fine, I don't care, I can do that. Makes no difference to me, " Buffy said. 

"You sure? "

"Of course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be? I couldn't care less. "

"Good, " Willow answered. 

"Then let's get back home. Everyone'll be waiting, and I don't plan on sleeping through chemistry, " she said, giving a light smile. 

Buffy smiled back, but her heart wasn't really in it. 

------------------------------------------------------------

It had been exactly one week since Buffy and Willow had made their agreement. Will didn't tell anyone else about Buffy's little visits; after all, she had said, that was in the past-wasn't gonna happen again. 

And she had kept her promise. She had modified her patrol rounds to steer well away from Spike's crypt and never saw nor spoke to him after that. At first it was easy, to just act like everything was normal again. She kept telling herself that this was the right thing to do anyway. It was stupid to start, really. It's just time to get back to normal now. 

But the memories of her visits to his lair well past the midnight hours, heart laden heavy with pain she needed to share with somebody, were like haunting images that played upon her mind each day. She kept pushing them away until they just left. Or so she thought they did. 

I mean, it's not like she _missed_ him. 

~

Gazing absently at a bottle of beer with a sticky note still attached to it, Spike did not have the bliss of ignorance like the Slayer did. She had left, and that was it. No more Slayer. He hadn't seen her since then. 

The vampire had gone through stages, I guess you could call them-at first anxiously waiting each night for her return, and then anger- proof of that still was left in his rather trashed crypt-and then finally depression and longing. 

"Shoulda known it wouldn't of worked out, " he muttered dangerously under his breath. 

"Gain her trust. _Hah! _Reality was gonna catch up sooner or later. "

The bottle rested among various other items down here in the basement, each meticulously arranged. His shrine, dedicated solely to the Slayer. Once Spike's plan had gone underway to woo the girl, the shrine was left to gather dust down there, almost embarrassed at the extremes he had went to when he had been actively stalking her. Now in desperation he returned to it, longingly gazing at the few photographs he had obtained of her. Sighing, he shook his head. 

"Tired of waiting. I'm just sick of it. I got to do something, " he said, the act of speaking about a new plan giving him a small touch of hope. 

~

"I just don't get it. " Xander stated. 

"Well _there's_ a surprise, " Willow teased, smiling as she nibbled at her ice cream cone. 

"Funny. Really. You should do stand-up comedy. "

"All right, what don't you get, Xander? "

"Buffy. "

"Ooo-kay, but again; _there's_ a surprise. "

Xander sighed. "Lemme just try to get this straight. She goes off to la la land for a while, and then stops. Everything's back to normal, hip-hip-hooray. Now she's acting all gloomy again. "

"Well, did you try talking to _her_ about it? "

"Yes, of course I did. She just says everything's fine, which translated, means something's _definitely_ up. I'm worried about her. "

Willow looked distracted as she mindlessly worked on her cookie-dough ice cream. 

"Final's comin' up, maybe she's just under some stress, " she suggested, her friend's words of earlier resurfacing in her memory. 

"I dunno. She's been kinda snappy again lately. And whenever that happens I seem to be the first one that gets jumped on. "

Willow looked sympathetically at him. 

"Oh, Xander, I'm sure she doesn't mean to-"

"I know, I know. I'm not bothered by that. I'm just saying; something's bugging her. "

Willow nodded. 

"Hopefully, " she said, after giving it some thought, 

"It'll just clear up on it's own. "

------------------------------------

Life would have been much easier if it was that simple, and problems, if left alone long enough, simply evaporated away. Unfortunately, nobody has yet achieved that; and I suppose the line of thought in Buffy's case is, that _there's a first time for everything_. 

However, positive thinking alone did not bring her a step closer. In fact, she seemed to be backpedaling in her life, growing more sullen and aloof by the hour. Try as she might to stop this backwards spiraling, nothing seemed to work-there was no escaping it. 

Gradually feeling more and more helpless, Buffy started lashing out at whomever she could-and in most cases, they were her friends…

But that only seemed to increase her aggravation. 

Thus, it was a bitter and callous circle, one that offered no ending anytime soon. 

~

"The Lexoer demon, " Giles stated, 

"A large and stupid brute. Emphases on _large_, "

"Incredibly tough, thick skin, much like an exoskeleton. Massive wings resembling a bat's, and quite a taste for human blood. "

"So, pretty much what you're saying, is it's a vampire bat. "

Giles nodded to Xander. "That's an adequate description. "

"Huh. Sort of ironic. " He commented. 

"Said to spring forward from the Earth during times of great peril, in order to reap the benefits of such a chaotic time. Peril or not, one sprung forward last night. "

Giles rambled on and on about the stupid legends and myths surrounding the demon, about great perils and times of chaos and yadda yadda yadda. But everyday was a great peril and there always was a new demon to cause chaos, wasn't there? Always the next one. 

"The Lexoer wears the Amulet of BloodBane. It's a diamond-shaped pendant, purple in color. . . "

Aah, yes, and an Amulet, source of it's power, no doubt. They'd have to destroy it and bye-bye demon. End of another hard day's work. Good job! Here's your reward-you get to live another day in this thing you call a _life. _

"Because of it's sheer size I doubt you can take on such a thing by yourself, Buffy, so I'd definitely suggest teamwork in this matter. We're going to need to forum a fairly decent plan so we're organized enough . . . "

Oh, goodie. Now he's gonna bring out the white board complete with X's and O's. This isn't football for Christ's sake. 

"Giles! Here's an idea! " Buffy piped up. 

"Why don't I just heroically run up to him and be the bait while you guys are in charge of bustin' the amulet? Sounds fair to me, I knock em' around a bit, all that fun stuff, then poof, huh? Nice, quick, easy. "

Giles shoved his glasses up and looked at Buffy. 

"Er, Buffy. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough when I mentioned this thing shoots hydrochloric acid from its face. "

"Oh, so it shoots some goo. Not like I haven't handled that before, right? "

"And spears things with its wingtips. And, as I've also said, is very, very, large, with incredibly-"

"Yes, I know, incredibly tough skin. I got that part. "

"In other words, not on your list of top ten things to tangle with, " Xander concluded. Buffy sighed, plunking back down at the table. 

"Fine. Fine. You win. Carry on. "

Giles continued to watch her oddly. 

"Go on! Let us in on your latest brilliant plan, " she said, voice suspiciously near sarcasm. Giles coughed and continued. 

"Ahem. Xander, you'll be bringing the crossbow. With luck we can hit our mark from afar and not put anyone in danger . . . "

Buffy started to drum her fingers on the table, for some reason growing very impatient. Why couldn't they just get this over with? So she could-ok, well, Buffy really didn't have anything better to be doing, but God she wanted to. She was just _so sick_ of this. 

"Hey, drummy. Save it for the band, ok? " Xander shot over his shoulder as Buffy's drumming grew increasingly louder and quicker. She shot him a glare. 

". . . erm, but if that fails, we'll need a plan B . . . "

Willow gave a look of concern in her direction, but quickly looked away when Buffy made eye contact with her. 

"Not as pleasing as the first option, but I think we can pull it off. Anya, Xander, you two have got to go ahead without us and circle back around . . . "

Still drumming with her fingers, Anya now seemed to be watching her, as Buffy saw out of the corner of her eye. She quickly looked to catch her-and Anya looked back to Giles, pretending to be very absorbed in what he was saying. 

"But how are we gonna know if we're all synchronized? One second off and we're in _big_ trouble, " Anya was pointing out. 

Ugh! _So sick_ of her annoying questions, _so sick_ of Xander's annoying comments, _so sick_ of everything. Buffy didn't even know why she was getting so irritated by everything and why she was sick of it, but damn, she was! 

". . . and so you see, that's were Buffy comes in. "

"Buffy? "

"What? " she snapped. 

"Did you, erm, hear me? "

"Yeah. You said, 'Buffy? '"

Giles looked confused. "No, I mean before that. You know. The plan . . . "

"What do you think? Of course I did, " she said. 

"And? "

"And. . . . it sounds super, Giles, really. But maybe we should look over my idea again. Of me just comin' in there and kicking some demon ass. "

Giles looked shocked. "You weren't listening, were you? "

She just shrugged. "I do my best, Giles, but talk is just not my thing. Action is. You know? We all have our thing. "

Everyone by now was looking at her strangely. 

"And _why_ does everyone keep looking at me? It's really quite rude, you know. "

"Well maybe because of how incredibly weird you've been acting lately, " Xander suggested, earning a frosty look from the Slayer. 

"Me? Weird. Hah! You guys are the weird ones. Keep asking me if I'm all right and looking at me like that. Yeah, like that, Willow! I'm fine, I'm better than fine, I'm absolutely chipper! "

"Oh. O-ok, well, it's just-" Willow started nervously, but Giles cut her off. 

"Buffy, did you or did you not hear the plan? This is very important, we must each know every detail or it's not going to work. "

"I think I got the gist of things, sah! " she said, in mock military fashion. Giles seemed to not know what to say about that. Buffy hadn't acted quite so oddly before. 

"Are you feeling all right, Buffy? "

"_Stop. Asking me that! " _she growled. 

"Buffy. Please, calm down. We're just worried, " Willow said, growing increasingly upset at Buffy's abnormal behavior. 

Looking over to Willow, she called out, 

"Well what're you so worried about? I already told you, I'm _fine. _What's it going to take to get you to believe me? "

"Buffy, I think you've been under a lot of stress lately. You seem a little, tense, " Giles began. 

"I'm not tense. I'm _not_ tense. I'm perfectly normal. "

"Buffy, you've been skipping patrols lately. . . " Xander said cautiously. 

"So? I skip one here and there. So what? I got a life outside of this Slayer thing, you know! It's not like the vamps won't be there the next night, " she shot back defensively. 

"You haven't been paying much attention lately. Not just to your Slaying duties. School, too. " Willow said softly. 

"We were going to study together, " Anya said, nodding to Willow. 

"The three of us. It was gonna be a study group. Willow said it was kind of like a party except instead of having fun we worked, " she said. 

"But you didn't come. "

Buffy looked from Anya to Willow to Xander, who were all watching her expectedly. 

"I can't believe you guys! What is this, pick-on-Buffy night? ! It's like you're all ganging up on me here, " she accused. 

"No, please, Buffy. We're. . . just concerned. " Willow said. Buffy looked over at Giles, who looked like a deer caught in a car's headlights. 

"Giles? Aren't you gonna tell them? That everything fine? There's nothing wrong with me. Tell them, Giles. " she said, sounding much more dangerous than she did pleading. 

He swallowed, unnerved by her cold-hard stare. 

"Buffy. . . , " he said, clearing his throat again. 

"Perhaps you should sit down. . . "

"I can't believe this! " Buffy exclaimed again. 

"You too? What's gotten into everybody? "

"Buffy, just calm down, " Willow tried again, feeling helpless. 

"No! I will not calm down! You're all. . . none of you understand! " she yelled, her eyes quickly flickering over her friends, as if she expected them to make a move. Xander took a few paces towards her. 

"Buf, you can explain it all to us. Just sit down, ok? " he said soothingly, as if speaking to a child. 

Buffy started backing away from them, looking more and more dangerous. 

"Stop that! None of you get anything about me! " she yelled again, green eyes darting about. She looked like a dangerous animal being cornered in a cage, Willow realized, fear gripping her heart at that. Like a leopard or something, preparing to make an escape. Or fight. 

"Buffy, we can understand, if you just explain it to us. We'll listen, " Willow said gently, although with an underlying tone of urgency. 

From his hiding place, Spike squeezed his eyes shut. It was either now or never. He had about a 50% chance of the Slayer hating him for the rest of his undead days for this, and a 50% of making the right choice. 

__

Here goes nothing, he muttered to himself. 

"No, Willow, you can't, " Buffy was saying, still backing away from them. 

"You-"

Using the bookshelf as a springboard, with the perfect precision of a well-experienced hunter, Spike hurdled himself across the room, snatched up the unsuspecting Slayer, and pummeled out the Magic Shop doors, yelling, 

"Outta the way, comin' through! "

He had seized her, and she was on top of him piggyback style, screaming in shock as he ran outside. Everyone in the shop just stood there a moment, eyes wide and blinking, with completely stunned expressions. 

"Wait, wait. Can you rewind that because I think I missed something here? " Xander yelped. 

"Buffy! " Willow yelled, the first to come out of the trance, exploding out the door as Spike had done. A few moments later the rest of the Scoobies followed at the same rate. The bells squalled like wild beasts at the slamming of the doors. 

"AAAAAA! "

The Slayer hollered, the vampire running with his cargo full-speed into the forest, not ever once slowing down a bit as she struggled to free herself from his grip, shouting bloody murder. 

"What in fuck's name are you fucking well doing you-"

He kept his grasp a tight deadlock around her, forcing her to stay on the wild ride through the midnight-black forest, branches whipping by her face like snakes. 

"Let the Hell go you fucking bastard-AA! "

She yelped as Spike stumbled a bit, but righted himself and continued the pace at a break-neck speed. 

"Get _off! Hey! _"

She began running out of breath from all her screaming. Unfortunately for her, Spike had no breath to run out of, and kept rocketing through the woods. 

"What the Hell's wrong with you? ! You stupid-" her steady stream of furious cursings did not seem to phase him. He just kept his blue eyes locked on his goal, which was through the woods. 

"Umph! OW! "she protested as a tree slapped her again. 

"You stupid vampire, what's gotten into you? Have you totally _lost_ it? " she shouted into the night, noticing how her voice echoed through the trees. She whooped as he ducked over a low branch and tore up a hill. 

"You have! God, you stupid moron, you've totally gone insane! " she cried, laughing at that, her voice bouncing through the cold night air. 

"Insane, you hear me? You're demented! You psychopath! " she screamed, the wind whipping the words nearly right out of her mouth. 

"Insaaaaaaane! "

The vampire was chuckling underneath her. 

"You think that's funny? Huh? ? You're a total lunatic! You've _lost_ it! "

She howled as he jumped straight across a short gully. 

"You're trying to kill us, aren't you? " she called out, for some reason laughing. 

Causing the Slayer to shriek, he bucked her in order to get a better grip, as she had been sliding off. 

"Gaah! You're not a damn horse! " she cried, unable to help sniggering at that notion. 

His reply was to buck her a few more times, causing her to yelp in surprise, each time catching her just before she fell. 

"Spike, I'm gonna kill you for this! "

~

"Where'd they go? " Xander demanded, as the Scoobies spread out, gazing across in all directions. 

"I don't know. He went so fast-dear, they could be anywhere, " Giles said with deepening concern. 

"Well we have to find them, right? Spread out, search! " Anya said in a voice slightly louder than necessary. 

"Right! I'll go here, you can take that direction, Giles, and Anya, you go were you're all ready headed. Willow, you head south. Willow? "

Xander paused as the others took off, waiting for a reply from her. 

The redhead was gazing distractedly at the forest. 

"I hear ya, " she said, and Xander took off with haste. 

"I just don't think we'll be finding them tonight. "

~

Gradually Buffy's cries of fury had melded more into whoops of excitement, until she was just screaming for the Hell of it, not because she was pissed. 

"Woooah! Watch out for the damn branch! " she yelled, tugging the hem of his duster as if they were reins. He dropped to a duck so fast it nearly made her head spin before getting up again to continue the wild gallop through the forest. 

"Aaaah! Spike! Slow it down! HEY! " she cried as a branch whisked by, slapping her on the coat, and his broad shoulders shook with laughter again, vibrating her. 

"Not funny! So very not! I'm getting killed up here! "

"Almost outta the woods, luv, " he hummed, the first time she heard his voice that night. 

Exclaiming over another jump, she yelled, 

"Then what, Einstein? ! "

"Patience, Slayer. You'll see. "

"Oh, sure-AAA! "

She exulted, as he took the narrow, twisted path up a hill at an insane speed. 

"Slow down, you moron! You're gonna get us-UMPH! Killed! "

Springing up the hill, he laughed. "I think not! "

Suddenly, turning a corner up the twisting path, to one side Buffy could see a part of Sunnydale below them. She cried out at the sudden view. 

"Were the Hell are we? ! "

"Top of the world, " he answered in his British accent, and she laughed at the ludicrousy of it all. 

"You damn well kidnapped me from my own town! " she exclaimed, looking out at the view as they wildly bucked along on the path, the wind about them howling like a demon. 

"Ha-_hah! "_ she cackled as they rounded another bend, 

"Look at that, the Magic Shop's down there! My friends are gonna be so pissed! "

"That a good thing or a bad thing, Slayer? "

Grinning up at the star-studded sky, she answered. 

"It's a damn good thing! "

~

"Buuuuuffy! _Hey! _Were are you? " Anya called into the night. She scrunched her face into a frown. 

"Very rude, hasn't answered me! " she said to herself. 

"Buffy! Spike! "

Whining in frustration, Anya started out in the direction she came in. 

"She's gonna be sorry for this. Him, too. " she muttered, no longer in the mood for this game. 

Hearing a rustle in the trees by the sidewalk, she stopped short and fell silent. Creeping slowly, she approached the trees, and then jumped, yelling,

"HA!"

Her victim let out a yelp of fear and stumbled.

"No, wait, don't hurt me!"

Anya paused, raising a brow.

"Xander?"

"Anya?"

She reached out and pulled him to his feet.

"You scream like a girl," Anya pointed out. Xander made a face.

"Did you find them or not?"

"Does it look like I have?"

He sighed. "You're right. Obviously you didn't. No such luck for me either."

Looking out, Anya shook her head.

"Whatever his plan is, we're too late to stop him."

~

Crying out in pure exuberance, both vampire and Slayer were whooping and yelling into the nighttime, stained by stars overhead and thrust far above the town below, a world hanging in space amidst the twilight. 

Despite the fact that she knew it would seem _so_ stupid later on, Buffy felt like she had been freed-swept away from it all into the night, by a midnight stallion, her silver fox. They raced to the zenith of the grassy hill, and finally Spike came to rest here. He laid her down, huffing unneeded air. 

She looked so beautiful in the moonlight that he simply stopped breathing, taking in every detail. His deep blue eyes roamed over her body, still panting, with flushed cheeks and blonde hair flayed about wildly from the exuberance of their run. She looked up at him, entranced by his wolflike gaze. He seemed chipped out of the nighttime air like a perfect statue, and only then did she fully realize what a marvelous creature he really was. 

"Spike, " she said, rather breathlessly. His eyes twinkled as he replied. 

"Yeah, luv? "

Losing herself in his elegant form, her voice dipped low and husky. 

"God, let's escape. "

The vampire couldn't have been more thrilled to hear those words. 

Leaning down, he pulled her into an aggressive embrace, kissing her passionately. She responded immediately, pulling him in, hungrily exploring his mouth. He moaned against her lips, hardly able to comprehend the fact that it was finally happening-the moment he had been fantasizing about for so long. And none of those fantasies, no matter how wonderful, seemed to come even close to the here and now. She was pressing against his chest almost as if trying to push him away, at the same time feverently kissing him. His hands were combing through her blonde hair, desperately needing the feel of flesh on flesh. She began kneading his chest almost like a kitten does, sharp claws biting into him, and he gave a throaty growl in response, lavishing the intoxicating blend of pain and pleasure. Her hands began to roam and shrugged off his duster in one quick motion, seeking to delve under the material. He gasped as they slid under his shirt, tracing and memorizing every pattern of his well-built muscles. He hated to break away from her lips, but he just had to plant kisses on her neck, all along her beautiful face, on her forehead, the corner of her mouth. . . 

She rumbled with pleasure, electricity dancing through her skin and shivering down her spine, at the raw intensity he attacked her with. He kissed like he fought-and she had loved it both. Before, there had been no one who could quite match her blow for blow, an equal; nobody could keep up with her Slayer's strength and personal intensity-but now, she realized how much she truly had been holding back all her life, and forcefully shoving Spike to the ground, causing him to grunt in pleasure, felt with a rush of truth washing over her-she had met her match. 

Their lips met again, teeth crushing together as they roughly tasted each other. He nipped at her bottom lip, rewarded with the nearly blissful flavor of blood, the Slayer's life-force hitting him as a hot rush. 

He lost himself in her that night-and she lost herself in him. Whispering raspyly, was a steady flow of words from the vampire; things he could hardly believe were true. Wisped to the night breeze, were things only the nightjars and owls would ever hear. 

__

God, baby, I love you so much. 

I still can't believe it, I still can't believe we made bloody hell freeze over. 

-------------------------------

Finido.

~


End file.
